When people think digital marketing, they think two things: google and social media. Within social media, most question, is the amount of work involved with social media for business worth it and which social media channel is the best outlet for my company? These are terrific questions to ask, because not all social media networks are equal. And more importantly, not all social media networks are right for every business. We can easily dissect these questions: First by type of industry and second by the actual demographics of FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
The top industries to see the best results from social media are real estate, B2C retail, B2B services, recruiters, technology, and believe it or not legal. What do all of these industries have in common you might ask: they all thrive on increased visibility, they have dynamically trending environments, and they require charismatic interactions with their client base. But what is even more interesting sciences and fitness sites also have benefited from social media.
Next, compare and contrast the social media networks which best suite your business objectives and your customer base:
Facebook:
Facebook tends to have posts with a light and friendly tone, this is the place to share images, videos, quotes, anecdotes and industry-related articles. For many users, Facebook is a virtual social media home base. Facebook friends include family members, real-life friends, co-workers, parents and children, connections from the past and what is even crazier is that 40 per cent of users are friends with real-life strangers. The base of users is getting older and the platform is proven to retain its audience.
Twitter:
Twitter platform is ideal for broadcasting news, updates and other material relating to your brand. Showcase deals, discounts, specials and remember to include fun content as well (as this is what will most likely be shared). Interaction with followers is of paramount importance.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is for professionals to connect. Here is where professional and industry dialogue can occur and you can showcase your business and its attributes to others in your field. Recommendations garnered via other users on this platform give your brand credibility. LinkedIn is a valuable job search and recruitment tool, as well as a lead generator and publishing platform.
Instagram:
Instagram is the visual platform. Moving and beautifully crafted photos create engagement. It harnesses the power of visual selling via sharing of images. Encourage consumers to post and share images of themselves using or wearing your product.
Pinterest:
Pinterest is the D-I-Y and instructional site for people. Here, visitors are interested in how to achieve a fitness routine or create the fun/ creative cupcakes that they saw in the pastry shop last week.
But before any this can be discussed, you need to ask yourself if you really know who your average customer is. What are their demographics, psychographics, and geographics? How do your customers purchase, what does your sales funnel look like? Is my site optimized, to entice customers to take action? If you are having a hard time defining these parameters, you should find a full-service digital marketing agency, like Boomtown, that is adept at creating marketing segments for companies.
