What is your current social media strategy, and how can you find a way to bolster the image of your company? Social media—including popular sites like Facebook and Twitter—is a great way to attract new customers to your business, and can be a valuable part of your marketing strategy. According to Irish Opinions™ research in Ireland, the majority of people access their social media account at least 5 or more times per day. Of the group surveyed, most people primarily access their social media account through their laptops; however, there is pronounced growth in the percentage of people accessing social media from their mobile devices. In light of this information, many marketers are turning to social media and mobile optimization to bring in new leads.
One Surprising Benefit of Facebook: Word-of-Mouth
A great component of social media is that it gives you a chance to spread the company information through word-of-mouth, but on a much broader scale. Try offering unique irish surveys that will peak the interest of your customers, and get them to share it with others. Surveys give your organization a great opportunity to learn about the customers and find out what drives them to buy your items.
TIME[1] Business reports that social media adds increased power to word-of-mouth marketing, since “a single happy customer can reach thousands of other potential customers,” rather than just a handful of other people.
Quality Posting
Creating interesting and engaging content is key to getting news and status updates shared with others. One way to create engaging content is to tailor it towards a specific audience. Irish Opinions research shows that women are 58% likely to check on their social media account while at work, meaning women are a key target audience for most companies generating content on social media platforms. The gender difference is even more pronounced on sites like Pinterest, where 72 percent of users are female[2]. Knowing this information can narrow down the playing field for many companies seeking to connect with their niche audience.
In addition to creating quality, engaging, and targeted content, business owners must update their content regularly. Content should always remain professional and reflective of the business as a whole, however. As noted by one Forbes[3] writer, “if you wouldn’t want that particular thought or contribution forever associated with your [company] name, don’t post it.”
Customer Service
It is vital to use your social media accounts to listen to and interact with customers. This can also prove to be a useful marketing tactic. Posting responses to both customer compliments and customer concerns will do wonders for customer engagement, according to The Guardian[4]. Engaging with customers who are responding positively to your business can encourage loyalty and build a more personal connection, while responding to customer complaints can help boost the perception of strong customer service.
Making social media an integral part of your marketing campaign can do wonders for your brand recognition. Reaching out to customers through sites like Twitter and Facebook, updating content regularly, and making efforts to target your key demographic are all excellent ways to keep your social media strategy going strong. Remember to track your progress and feedback—in terms of content participants, Facebook “likes,” retweets, shared content, etc.—and alter your approach where needed.
This article has been written by a third party. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Research Now or its Irish Opinions™ panel. The statistics referred to in this article were collected from pre-screener questions directed to members of Research Now’s Irish Opinions panel during June 2013. The information is presented without warranty, express or implied.
1 TIME Business, business.time.com.
2 Huffington Post, www.huffingtonpost.com.
3 Forbes, www.forbes.com.
4The Guardian, www.theguardian.com.