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What kind of strategies can be implemented to improve the use of social media in business?
Ways in which social media can be successfully harnessed by business has been a hot topic for a while now. Companies are quickly becoming more digitally aware; leading them to set up accounts in the three main social media platforms, Youtube and Facebook pages or Twitter accounts. These can be used to interact with target audiences and potential clients during their leisure time – a time when it is most difficult for advertisers to penetrate their markets.
Sites such as Linkedin are being utilised to build up business connections and to network with professionals across similar sectors. There are also opportunities to join groups, which allow similar minded people to discuss certain subjects within their business area. Many of these groups are full of discussion regarding what tactics are best when encouraging their audience to interact with their brand or company’s social media platform.
Most of these discussers seem to agree that interaction is by far the best way to attract attention to their pages, claiming that visible interaction is a clear pull for potential fans or followers. One strategy mentioned to increase the number of ‘likes’ on a Facebook profile is asking staff to invite their friends to join. This can create a rolling wave of ‘likes’ across many different newsfeeds which hopefully creates a snowball effect, attracting others through curiosity. Creating incentives or ‘giveaway’ offers for each ‘like’ was also mentioned as a method of creating a relationship between brand and consumer, encouraging brand loyalty. However, although these approaches can be beneficial in creating lots of followers and friends, there is no guarantee that they will be interested in the content and brand, and therefore will not help the company reach a specific and relevant target audience.
The importance of following Facebook guidelines is said to be a crucial step in creating a page and when considering strategies to increase fans. Failure to follow rules can cause a page to be shut down, which can be hard to recover from. Integrating other links on a profile (such as a Youtube channel or Twitter page) is also listed as something to think about. This creates more quality to the content, giving the user the opportunity to engage with a company across different media platforms and therefore gives them a deeper understanding of a business or brand.
An article by Cindy King on Social Media Explorer talks about the best ways to use a Twitter account in business. The ’17 Twitter marketing tips from the pros’ discusses ways to bring followers back to your website, approaches to cultivate relationships and how to engage an audience. Many of the tips express the importance of honesty, reiterating that transparency is key when trying to relate to online users. Being real is a better way to build up relationships online as a business comes across as being more trustworthy and credible to other participants who are then more likely to interact.
Above all else, it is acknowledged that a successful social media platform will not appear overnight. Businesses must constantly be involved in their pages and profiles to connect with users to provide any interaction. People want to feel that businesses are connected to their lives, rather than selling them a typical marketing pitch. A personal approach on social networking sites is crucial to build up a relationship with the audiences, but will in turn gain a company ‘likes’, followers and fans.
Find out more on this subject:
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1081906527&type=RESOURCES
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/17-twitter-marketing-tips-from-the-pros/
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