There are many reasons that businesses are now turning to social media to drive customers to their product. The main reasons are cost and reach. Traditional marketing is expensive. In comparison, social media marketing has low cost and gives you direct communication with current and target customers.

Research

The first rule of successful social media is strategy. The purpose of social media is to connect with others with whom you have a mutual understanding. As a business owner on social media you are connecting with customers. To do this well you need to understand them. Creating a customer profile is a great place to start. Identify your target customers problems and needs. How can you solve these? In correlation with this you need to come up with a couple of marketing messages that you will communicate to these customers. Know which social networks your target customers use. Ensure you understand fully how your social networks operate. You won’t be able duplicate posts on every channel. More research specific to social networks may be required.

Have your social networks in sync

Although each social network operates slightly differently and reacts differently to certain types of content, your business channels should still co-ordinate in some way. Every network should be represent your brand consistently. On every channel you should be directing customers to your website. Social media is a great opportunity to develop the relationship between your brand and customers. Use it to share information and develop the brand further. However you should also be using it as an opportunity to lead customers through the ales process. Driving customers from your website to your social media is also important. Have social media icons prominently displayed on the site. Following you on social media should be a call to action on your website as current customers who follow you on social channels will be encouraged to return as a customer. You can also integrate your feeds so for example link Instagram posts to appear on Facebook. This encourages your Facebook friends to follow on Instagram is they don’t already do so. Make your posts public so that your followers and friends can share your content.

Pace yourself

Having successful social media channels takes a lot of time and energy. You need to be consistent with your posts, reply to customer queries and always keep on top of trends to stay relevant. Start small by choosing one or two platforms. You should set aside time every day that I strictly for social media. Also creating an editorial calendar is useful to map out what content you will share. This will help you to stay on brand and to keep content relevant and consistent.

Social Media Interaction

Replying to your private messages and public comments is very important. Many people use social media as a means of communication and as a business you don’t want to be seen as dismissive. Some customers will speak to as a business directly or send queries through social channels. As your company grows you may need to take on someone to work on social distinctly. This is ensure that no query goes unanswered and no negative public comment does unnoticed. It is important you understand that social media interaction is now part of your customer service. You can also use social media advertising to help drive customers to your channels and website.