Why Social Media?
The “new normal” brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic requires every company to put extreme importance on everything digital marketing. Although SEO and e-mail are highly valued marketing strategies, addressing consumers online buying needs with social media is ideal. Also, businesses then connect with their patrons and prospects using those same social media marketing services.
However, branding involves challenges for social media marketing. Many still see it as an advertising or promotional channel. Social media services are the perfect showground to collaborate with other users, customers, or influencers. Thus, the relationships of those users, consumers, and influencers form a continuous funnel for your brand. With 70% of consumers saying they search for products they need to buy on Facebook or Instagram an average of 2.5 hours per day per person. The time prospects spend on social media is gathering information on your company, your ethics, your knowledge, etc. Often, consumers spend considerable time on social media trying to validate a decision to buy.
Value of Video with Social Media Marketing Services
According to a study by Cisco, by 2022, 82% of all online content will be video. If you are not taking advantage of social video now, using video on social media is vitally important. Brands that use video on social media gain access to powerful data as they take users on a journey. For example, if someone watches an entire video, you can treat them as a hot lead and market accordingly. Meanwhile, those who watch half a video or abandon it even earlier can be sent something different that will resonate better with them
Video gives brands the opportunity to test assorted styles and tones on social media, communicate with multiple audiences and zero in on what is most effective for every target market
All popular social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook now offer brands the ability to post live videos. A live video boosts your social authenticity and establishes trust, as well as potentially reaching a vast number of consumers in minutes via likes and shares.
As people scroll through social media feeds, it’s difficult to grab attention with long-winded paragraphs of text. Only the compelling content makes them stop and take note. Video allows a brand to be concise and capture interest within a few seconds using more digestible snippets and ideally leave them wanting more.
Influencers: Natural Fit for Social Media Marketing
In simple terms, an influencer is someone with the ability to influence others. For social media marketing, influences collaborate with brands to promote products and services.
When looking for influencers, you should search for the most popular social content within your niche. Look for the type of people you want to work with and those how can portray the right brand image. It is important not to confuse influencers with celebrities. A Google study shows that YouTube influencers who may not be well-known are more influential on YouTube than traditional celebrities.
Influencer marketing success is about finding relatable support rather than spending big bucks on celebrities who don’t understand your brand and audience. For smaller businesses, there are plenty of resources to help you find local influencers. For example, BuzzSumo provides a database of over 500,000 potential influencers that can make an impact via Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube.
Another quick way to find local influencers is to research Facebook Groups where customers could be discussing your business or related services. Groups can be a goldmine for highly relevant micro-influencers willing to promote your brand.
Personalization is vital
Personalized digital marketing is not new, but it is still reaching maturity regarding social media. However, with a Forbes study showing that 91% of customers are likely to shop from brands that offer tailored experiences, personalization isn’t something you can do without. The days of blasting the same e-mail out to everyone on your contact list are long gone, so why should social media be any different?
As an example, Expedia uses social media retargeting to retain customers that they may have otherwise lost. First, they have an ad campaign with a call to action asking customers to “Book Now.”
Summary
Social media is critical to any digital marketing trends. Trends such as video, influencers, AR, and personalization are here to change the future of social media marketing, along with modern technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and exponential growth in data. Brands must ensure they keep on top of the latest trends and retain a competitive social advantage.
Ultimately, getting Conversions and gaining Customers, Clients, or Patients has, at its very roots, Relationship building. Your relationships are built upon Trust, Credibility, and Authority, in other words...Your Reputation. Your future patrons are searching social media for Social Proof. Social Media like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. are great platforms for building the social proof necessary for converting prospects into customer, clients, or patents.
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