Social Media Marketing Opportunities

837 Words2 Pages

Are you missing out on millions of potential customers? Neilson research shows there were more than 17 million internet users in Australia in 2014, about 80% of the population. More than half of these people are using social media and at an average of nearly 10 hours per month social media use, Australians are the biggest consumers of social media in the world! That sure is a lot of potential customers you are missing out on connecting with if you are not using social media! If you are thinking about using social media for your business you should first determine what you want to achieve from your social media strategy. Do you want to promote products, build a mailing list, enhance brand recognition or are you looking to recruit new employees? "Build it and They will Come!" Don't reckon... The crux of any marketing strategy is that you must create value for your customers; social media is no exception! You might have a Facebook landing page more handsome than Monet's Water Lilies, but unless you give your customers value you might as well post pictures of sea slugs mating. A little bit of market research goes a long way - make an effort to learn about your audience and connect with them on a relevant level. Don't just overwhelm customers with dribble about how great you are and then repeatedly post the same deal you've been posting all month. What is Your Capacity? Many small businesses can't afford to hire specialty social media staff or an external agency to run campaigns, so the biggest social media investment they will make is their own time. Before you get started with your social media campaigns, think about how much time you can realistically dedicate to managing and providing value in your networks. Yes you ... ... middle of paper ... ... aloud with me: I will not post anything online that I wouldn't say to a customer in an email, phone-call or over the counter. So now you know not to abuse customers, post pictures of staff getting slizzered at the Christmas party or share confidential information, you can reap the rewards of transparency with your customers. Honestly and transparency you can build public trust, help with compliance, retain employees and demonstrate corporate responsibility, all of which can help you realise long-term value with your customers. In Summary... Social media is a very powerful marketing tool and should be embraced; however make sure you can commit to long term use as your customers will quickly rely on your presence. Learn about your customers and engage transparently with them, rather than simply hard-selling. Your business will reap the rewards of social media.

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