“We might as well set up an account on all social media platforms, it’s free right?”
Yes it is ‘free’, but just setting up an account, adding your logo and pushing out a sales pitch every now and then could actually do more harm than good to your brand.
Posting infrequent uninteresting content will gain very little engagement, most likely causing any initial excitement you had for the platform to dwindle, meaning you’ll put in even less effort.
Having a strategy is crucial. Who are you talking to? What is your brand message? Your ‘tone of voice’? What are your content segments and how will you source your content?
Social media done right can build confidence and loyalty to your brand.
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
Other points to bear in mind;
Your customers are on social media.
Social Media isn’t just a platform to shout about your product, (nobody will hear you anyway if you’re not doing it right), but it’s a way to listen to your target audience and build relationships with potential customers.
We call it ‘Social Listening’.
Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash
Social Proof
According to Sprout Social, 74% of customers consult social media before committing to a purchase. If your customer looks you up, what do you want them to see? A semi-abandoned news feed with the occasional ‘buy me/hire me/use me’ post? Or, regular visual engaging content, displaying your brand’s personality and vibe, as well as a clear message about your product or service.
Your potential customers can also see reviews and recommendations left by real people, boosting your credibility and gaining immediate trust.
Social Advertising
Paid social media advertising can be a cost-effective way to spend your advertising budget. Take Facebook for example. With their paid advertising service you are tapping into Facebooks wealth of data on its 2.28 Billion monthly active users (as at q2 2018). Do you want to find people who have a close friend that’s recently got engaged? People who live within 10 miles of your business and have an interest in gardening? People who have a birthday in the next month? People with grandchildren? English speakers in Southern France? You can do that. There are whole host of targeting options available meaning you can choose who will see your advert and therefore spend your budget wisely. You may be surprised how far your budget will go.
You can also set up a pixel in your website, meaning you can track your conversions from your social advertising, and re-target those who have visited your site, or even a specific page on your site.
So, there is a bit of work involved in making the most of your ‘free’ accounts!
