If you want to boost profitability in 2016, you need to meet your customers where they are. Today more than ever before, customers live on social media.
A study conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that 65% of American adults – and 90% of young adults – use social networking sites. These numbers are climbing every year.
70% of Facebook users check their accounts daily, and 45% do so several times a day. Pinterest has a 100 monthly active users. The average Twitter user follows five or more businesses, and over a third of Twitter users will buy from a brand they follow.
With statistics like these, businesses have to do more than create a social media presence. If you want social media to work for you (and it can!), you need to approach it strategically.
Posting random content sporadically won’t get you results in a crowded social media landscape. You need to outline social media objectives and map out a strategic plan customized to help you reach those objectives.
Here are 3 reasons your business needs a social media marketing strategy:
- Move in a SMART direction.
Without a strategy, your social media efforts won’t support your business goals. The first step is to identify your needs. Are you looking to improve communication with your customers, drive traffic to your website, or create better brand recognition? Once you clarify your objectives, you can create a social media plan tailored to help you reach them.
A strong social media plan is SMART – specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related. At iCatch Media, we use SMART criteria to get the optimal results out of each social media platform we manage for our clients.
- Get to know your customers.
Part of creating a social media plan is a strong content strategy. After all, engagement is what social media is all about. The more engaging your content is, the more comments you’ll receive from existing and potential customers. These comments are the best market research. At no cost, you’ll learn what people like, are interested in, dislike and are passionate about.
A strong social media marketer knows that a content strategy needs to continually evolve. By regularly evaluating your social media metrics and what is – and isn’t – trending on your platform, you can make adjustments to better meet your objectives. Without these evaluations, you’re just shooting in the dark.
- Improve customer relations.
Online and offline, there’s nothing that creates a lifelong customer like good old-fashioned customer service. Customers can’t “talk back” to a print ad or television commercial. Social media platforms give customers an opportunity to give you instantaneous feedback about your business. Want to see what they think about a new product or service you’re offering? Just ask. People love to participate in a conversation where their opinion is valued.
Social media is all about relationship building. The more that customers – and potential customers – get the impression that you care about them, the stronger your relationship will be. You want them to associate your brand with a positive, customer-comes-first experience. By creating this image with your social media marketing strategy, you’ll generate repeat business and invaluable word-of-mouth exposure.
The Business Owner’s Challenge
Running effective social media campaigns can feel like a full time job. Many business owners are sold on the value of an effective social media strategy, but can’t find the time to post high-level content consistently and actively engage with users. Some don’t have the social media expertise, while others are simply too busy business running their business.
iCatch Media steps in to fill this need, managing social media platforms and implementing proven marketing strategies to help businesses build their presence online.
Are you ready to get social? Contact iCatch Media.
