Small business owners know that social media marketing is not just for big brands. Even though online behemoths have completely disrupted many industries, people still prefer to do business with local companies. In the new era of social media marketing, small businesses can bring their local touch to the conversation and grow.
Whether you’re looking for new customer acquisition or deepening your relationships with current customers, having a social media strategy allows you to have the dialog with all of your stakeholders. Let’s look at some proven social media methods that have worked well for other brands.
Let’s look at this #PradaOutdoor campaign from fashion behemoth Prada, for example. Notice how they’re combining their products with positive elements of a natural environment with spaces for socialization and relaxation.
Associations like these are very on-brand and based upon a deep understanding of the value your brand provides. These posts create a common ground with stakeholders, allowing Prada to speak in its brand’s voice via social media. For Prada and any other brand, social media should not be about constantly selling things, but about building those relationships that are not so overt. It’s about conversations around common themes that involve the brand in a seamless and authentic way. The brand preferences emerge from these conversations in the form of inquiries and a desire to deepen the relationship.
Marketing 101 dictates: know who you are talking to. In social media, this adage should be a guiding principle for your strategy, since you’ll be talking with them at least every week. Go beyond knowing the demographic of the prospect and focus on how engaged they are, what issues they care about, and which type of content they respond best to, etc.
All of this is important because it helps you curate a strategy that specifically targets your audience for deeper engagements. Whether you’re working on your own or with a creative marketing agency that specializes in social media, use the analytics tools to understand what’s working and adjust your strategy accordingly.
In this day and age of digital content consumption, you have to approach content from several angles. Focus on varied content from written text, photos, illustrations, memes, polls and videos. When you post a variety of content and combinations, you keep your audience interested and you get them more engaged.
Look at Gucci’s Instagram feed, for example. From stories to highlights to a variety of posts, they’re not afraid to mix it up and reach out to different demographics. In fact, social media platforms are tweaking algorithms to promote accounts that make use of all their features.
You may have noticed that brands (big and small) are responding to customers left and right. Whether it’s a funny remark or a genuine query, you’ll see official accounts replying to absolutely everything. The idea behind this is quite simple: People want brands to listen to them.
When you reply to your customers, they’re more likely to engage again and will sooner or later buy your products or services. People want to feel connected; it’s really as simple as that.
Running social media today is time-consuming, especially if you’re a small business. Choosing to DIY means you’ll be spending your precious time and resources away from your actual work. Instead, hire a brand marketing firm to take it over, freeing up your time to add value to your business.
At OAK Interactive, we’re a Houston-based digital marketing and branding agency that specializes in social media management. Get in touch today to learn more about how we can improve your business’s social media presence.
