Is your business surfing the social media current?
Social media can be a business's best friend or worst enemy – it all completely depends on how much time we invest in understanding it.
Social media has revolutionised business communication culture and how business is conducted. 24-hour access to consumers’ personal information, habits, and trends has been a game changer. There are 3.58 billion internet users worldwide — and over 2 billion of them have active social media accounts.
Popular social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and 64% of the total UK internet population has at least one active social media account.
These platforms can be a whirlwind of opportunity for savvy businesses. We can listen to what consumers are saying publicly, as well as strategically network and close deals based on shared interests and personal engagement. Social media is increasingly becoming “the vehicle for the voice of people and consumers worldwide” – consumers can become influencers by selling a product or service that appeals to their following.
Now, in a world where Kim Kardashian can utilise the digital sphere to make millions, how can we do the same for our businesses? Check out our step-by-step best practice below:
1. Step one: know your audience
This is crucial. It determines the success of any campaign. Your audience needs to get you, and you need to get your audience. You need to understand why @uniquefollower likes, comments on or shares your post.
Take the time and go on to your followers' pages and gain an understanding of them – what they post, what they share, what they like…
Understand your followers and you can tailor your content into something they will engage with.
2. Step two: play on 'the current'
Reactive advertising is the most impactful form in terms of generating consumer engagement. Piggybacking off a high-profile news story can get you thousands of likes overnight. It can generate free PR for your brand and see a short-term sales lift for low-cost activity.
Check out Burger King's tweet below showing how they responded to an incident during the 2015 Miss Universe Contest. Steve Harvey announced the wrong contestant as the winner, resulting in her crown being taken back from her:
At BK everyone gets to keep their crown. pic.twitter.com/vrRKG3dMs7
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) December 21, 2015
3. Step three: make use of the app updates
Consumers regularly receive notifications to update their social apps. Pay attention to these updates.
H&M was one of the first brands to make full use of the 'price tag' feature on Instagram. Not only does this feature help H&M’s sales, but it makes it easier for their followers to purchase the items they want.
When features are released consumers will be eager to experiment with them. Be the brand they are faced with when they do. It's a classic case of the early bird catching the worm.
New features can also be used for brands to collect data on consumers. Rating your feelings on Instagram stories or engaging in a poll lets brands decide which product to release or how best to tailor the next phase of their marketing campaign.
Other features such as IGTV create a new place to present long-form video content in a world where every brand uses YouTube or Facebook.
4. Step four: contact us
Social media can all be a lot to take in, so, it's good to get the right help from the right people. Individuals who obsess over social on a daily basis. People like us.
Ready to increase your social media awareness? Drop us an email, we'll be happy to help.
