S.M.M business are now springing up all over the place nowadays and they are telling anyone that will listen about how incredibly important social media like Facebook twitter and YouTube are to your company however, for the average little to medium sized company, does marketing to socials media actually live up to all the hype? Is spending a little fortune on employing a SMM business actually worth it? And has anybody truly done their research on this before they worked with somebody to set up there Facebook organisation page? Some SMM companies are setting up things like Facebook business pages (which are complimentary) for $600 to $1,000 or more and telling their clients that they do not need a website because Facebook is the biggest social network on the planet and everyone has a Facebook account. Now while it may be true that Facebook is the largest social media network on the planet and yes, Facebook's members are possible consumers, the real question is are they actually buying? Social media marketing companies are all too pleased to mention the positives of social media like the number of people use Facebook or how many tweets were sent in 2015 and how many people watch YouTube videos etc. but are you getting the complete photo? I as soon as sat beside a SMM "specialist" at a business seminar who was spruiking to anyone who came within earshot about the incredible advantages of establishing a Facebook organisation page for small business (with him of course) and selling on Facebook. Fascinated by the previously mentioned "specialists" suggestions I looked him up on Facebook only to discover he had just 11 Facebook friends (not a good start). So being the research nut that I am, I decided to take a great look into SMM in regard to selling to see if it really worked, who did it work for and if it did why did Social Media Marketing work for them? And should service rely so greatly on socials media for sales?
As a web developer I was constantly (and now increasingly) challenged with numerous social networking obstacles when potential customers would state that having a site sounds excellent but they had a Facebook business page and had actually been told by numerous sources (the ever present yet confidential "they") that social networks were the thing to do, but after discussing their needs it became quite clear that those prospective clients didn't in fact know why they required social networks or SMM to produce online sales, They simply wanted it. Well it's simple truly due to the fact that social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not business media and business networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a recent research study done by the IBM Institute for Service Value around 55% of all social media users mentioned that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and just around 23% in fact actively utilize social media to interact with brands.
So how do you utilize social media marketing? And is it even worth doing?
Well initially of all I would state that having actually a well enhanced site is still going to bring you far more company that social media in most cases especially if you are a small to medium sized regional business since far more people are going to type in "hairdresser Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Site and if you do not have a site you're missing out on all of that prospective service. Regardless of all the (not so great) stats I still believe it is still a great concept for company to use social media just not in the same way that a lot of SMM experts are today, Why? Is it in a Social Media Marketing company's best interest to talk social networks up?
One of the most significant problems company face with social networks and SMM is perception. The main factor the majority of individuals offer for connecting with brand names or organisation on social media is to get discount rates, yet the brands and service themselves think the primary factor individuals engage with them on social media is to find out about new items. Most organisations think social media will increase advocacy, but just 38 % of customers concur.
There were some great initiatives revealed in the IBM study of companies that had gotten some sort of a manage on how to use social media to their benefit, keeping in mind that when asked what they do when they interact with services or brands by means of social media, consumers note "getting discount rates or discount coupons" and "purchasing items and services" as the top 2 activities, respectively a UNITED STATE ice cream business called Cold Stone Creamery provided discount rates on their products on their Facebook page. With both Cold Stone Creamery and Twelpforce the advantage is clearly in the favour of the potential client & the excellent trick to social media marketing is to sell without attempting to sell (or looking like your selling) regrettably most social media marketing is focused the wrong method.
Building a concrete buyer to customer relationship via social media is challenging and probably the most benefit to service' utilizing social media to increase their sites Google rankings. But organisation' need to comprehend that you can't simply setup a Facebook business page and wish for the best. SMM needs effort and prospective consumers need to see worth in what you need to offer by means of your social media efforts give them something worth their social interaction and time and after that you may improve outcomes.
Now just as a footnote Facebook shares have dropped to under $20 per share, that's half their initial price ... and the suits are flying
As a web designer I was constantly (and now significantly) confronted with a number of social networking challenges when prospective customers would say that having a site Elite Digital Marketing agency sounds good but they had a Facebook organisation page and had been informed by various sources (the ever present yet anonymous "they") that social networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their needs it became rather clear that those potential customers didn't in fact know why they required social networks or SMM to create online sales, They just desired it. Well it's simple truly due to the fact that social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not business media and service networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a current study done by the IBM Institute for Service Worth around 55% of all social media users stated that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and just around 23% actually purposefully use social media to connect with brands. Well first of all I would state that having a well optimized site is still going to bring you far more business that social media in many cases specifically if you are a small to medium sized local service due to the fact that far more individuals are going to type in "hairdresser Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Site and if you do not have a site you're missing out on all of that potential service. The main reason many individuals give for communicating with brand names or organisation on social media is to receive discounts, yet the brands and organisation themselves believe the main reason individuals connect with them on social media is to learn about new products.
