The new reality of Internet forces small online business owners who want to be competitive, to adapt to changing times. It is essential to implement different types of social marketing strategies to maintain and attract new customers. Online businesses that do not will be at a disadvantage to those that have already done so.
The world of social media is increasingly more competitive for businesses. You have to work hard so that your content can be seen by more people on the platforms that you tend to utilize, but it can certainly be done if you consider undertaking the following tips.
Send the Right Message to the Right Platform
Each social media platform has different purposes and thus draws the attention of certain people. Understanding this can make your social media marketing campaigns easier. For example, you definitely don't want to promote a law firm on Instagram nor Pinterest, as these online sites are for sharing photos, not really content.
Test each platform to see how your audience responds. Statistics show that women tend to spend more time on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook, while men enjoy Twitter and Google+ more.
Think Outside-of-the-Box When It Comes to Video Promotion
Contrary to popular belief, it is no longer all about the online site YouTube. Recently, the staff of Facebook announced that this year alone, they have had more video views than YouTube has had. It is important that you take this information to heart so that you can get more creative in your videos and upload them to as many online sites possible.
Getting in contact with a YouTube star can be very beneficial when it comes to making your online business grow, as she/he can talk about your brand in exchange of a free trial of your products or service.
Advertising Space
In a perfect world, your efforts on search engine optimization would be enough for all your marketing needs, as it is free, but the world is not perfect, sometimes we have to pay to attain an increase in traffic.
All major social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter offer opportunities to buy advertising space. When you pay for these ads, you expand your reach beyond your current community contacts quickly and effectively.
The most important thing is to start and quick. You do not need to know anything to do this. Create an account and set a goal to publish content. That is all! Millions of people use social networks around the world, which is proof that it's not complicated.
Post and Post Some More
Post and continue to post. There is no such thing as having too many posts. There are "experts" out there that discourage frequent posts. They think that if you post so often people will stop following you, but that is not the case. This is a myth. The only way that you will gain attention is through consistency. If people are not complaining about the number of posts you have, you're not publishing enough. In three years, one online business owner published over 1,200 videos on YouTube. That's almost 400 videos a year.
Know Your Audience
One of the keys to creating a successful business page on social media sites is to know what kind of people you want to target. If your target audience is made up of a particular industry of professionals, post content that covers news and hot topics about that particular industry.
Engage with Audience
Create an active forum for your audience. If users rave about the content on your Facebook's business page, respond to their posts. Include promotions and news events on your page to attract more people. Solicit feedback from your audience when they utilize your services or purchase your products.
Promote and Make Connections
You can easily promote your Facebook page in email signatures, business cards, or on your website. Make sure to make connections with groups, companies, and people who could need your services or products. For example, consider joining a group of parents if you are selling products for children. Post messages about your products with images and links to your website. Remember to do this moderately. You can also opt to advertise your products on the Marketplace on Facebook. On the Marketplace section, members can post information about the products or services that they want to sell, trade, or purchase. By default, your advertisement will appear in the pages of the people who are on your friends list.
If you take these tips into consideration, you will soon see how your business skyrockets in a short period of time, as you will be able to garner the attention of a lot of people.
Be the Celebrity
You must be the celebrity expert in your space. Post content that makes you the expert in your space. If your business revolves around dry cleaners, post everything that there is to know about dry cleaning, stain removal and fabrics, for example.
Global Reach Is In Your Hands
Make the planet your goal. Unlike traditional marketing, social networks allow you to have global reach. At first, you want the attention of whomever. You may have followers from China and India that may never buy your services or products but can share my content with someone who perhaps might become my client. It is important that you understand that anyone can view your content and be inspired to take some action.
Share Content
Be wise. Eighty percent of your content should be non-promotional information. Create content that varies: videos, photos, and articles. Sharing the content of somebody else is the easiest way to get more followers quickly. Yes, by sharing the content of your competition or other expert and giving them the credit they deserve, you will gain a lot of the followers who follow them. Smart, right?
Other Important Things to Take Note on to Grow Your Online Business:
Grow your email list
Yes, email lists are still very popular. Statistics show a meaningful percentage of people still check their email every day. According to a survey by the American marketing agency Exact Target, discovered that email is the preferred channel for the majority of customers. Since emails can be a great advantage in a marketing campaign, try to gain more subscribers. Provide a subscription form on your website or on your Facebook through the many applications. Make sure to provide incentives for customers to subscribe or create a competition for the same purpose.
Perform A / B
How can an employer tell if a social media campaign is reaching the target audience or discover which components go hand in hand with the taste of consumers? Easy, do an A / B landing page of your website and other pages as well.
Importance of Blogging
When you blog, you share your voice with people from different backgrounds and ages. Consistency is vital for blog writing so that readers can realize that they can depend on your posts for the type of information that they require. This can help you build credibility and thus become an expert on your topic.
Contrary to popular believe, promoting a blog can be a piece of cake when performed the adequate way. Of course, that’s if you take the following suggestions into consideration as much as you possibly can: create catchy post titles, use original or descriptive images, claim authorship with Google+, link to other bloggers while they do the same, create a list of influencers and then interview them, comment on other blogs, write articles as guest on other blogs, invite others to participate, integrate ‘click to tweet’ to posts, create attractive infographics, share content through social media online sites, increase the virility of blog content, create a Linkedln page, add link to your blog in your social media profiles, create contests, and talk about your blog anytime an opportunity presents itself.
As you can conclude, the power of social media is huge; therefore, try your best to post on a daily basis. You must be authentic. Many brands forget this. No matter who you are, how old you are, or what your business is all about, social media can be very good for your brand.
Sincerely,
Frank Aziz
