I Do Facebook!

“Social Media is just a buzzword until you come up with a plan.”

(Zach Dunn, Build Internet)

Businesses know they need to use Social Media to market, it is where everyone is and the evidence supporting Social Media Marketing is too important to ignore.

However, sometimes not pursuing a Social Media Campaign is better than having a bad Campaign.  If you are not committed to using the Social Networks consistently and correctly with a plan in place you should just skip using this marketing tool.

Social Media really is a buzzword, but with a plan in place to fully use this tool it is a powerful marketing medium and when used correctly will benefit your overall business plan.  The problem is most business owners don’t understand what Social Media is, how it works or why they are using it.

Social Media Marketing is not an instant “fix”.  Social Media Marketing Campaigns take time and the foundation of this type of Campaign is Relationship Marketing.  Through Social Media you are building relationships with potential clients and referral sources who will become a “Friend” of your business.  This in turn builds trust and loyalty and will assist your business in growing its online presence, eventually translating into revenue.

Social Media Marketing takes time, a lot of time.  It is a 24/7, 365 days a year commitment.  Though it is free to sign up for accounts on the sites, running a Campaign takes effort and time.

“A forgotten or neglected Facebook Business Page translates as a failed attempt at Social Media Marketing.” (Crowdshifter)

Unless you are going to manage your Page daily or your receptionist is going to post compelling content that creates interaction on a daily basis, that is EVERY DAY, or your college intern is going to devote a large portion of their day to researching the trends and changes and useful tips for Social Media Marketing you may be better off skipping a Campaign altogether.

Even if you attend all of the Webinars, speaking engagements and presentations , but  don’t keep up with the changes, post compelling content  every  day, and a follow a comprehensive plan, at the end of the day Social Media is still just a buzzword.

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Do people pull off the side of the road to call your number up on the billboard they just saw?  Is their phone book open to your Ad on their counter so they can look at it every day?  Do they carry your business card around in their hand in the event they need your services?  Probably not.

Social Media Marketing allows your company to be seen each and every day, it provides a daily impression.   It also creates two-way communication and interaction with consumers.

Traditional marketing messages paid for and broadcast “at” consumers are not effective anymore.   Consumers expect interaction and engagement with brands and business and media interaction must now be earned and not purchased.

People do not want to see ads and sales messages coming at them anymore.  Marketing today is about interest and engagement.  Good content that consumers want to see is crucial, even if it has nothing to do with what your business does, the message is still coming from you.  Create quality content to spark a conversation and connect with your Friends.

People connect with others on the Social Networks and trust their recommendations, they respond to businesses they have a relationship with much more than they respond to a direct sales message coming from an unresponsive company/ad/billboard /business card.

Engagement and interaction using interesting content and consistently being there are the keys to successfully using Social Networks to market. Once you earn your Friend’s attention your business is at the forefront of their minds.  They will not need to look in the phone book to find a business they want to use, they will know you, trust you and call you.

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“The best way to look at social media is to view it as a way to open up new access points. These points can then be leveraged to create content, context, connection, and community. Do that well, and [you] can also add to lead generation, nurturing, and conversion. And that’s the payoff of social media.” John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing.

A digital footprint is critical to the success of any size business in today’s world of marketing. Businesses simply must use social media to not only stay relevant, but to grow their online presence and in turn grow their business.

There are so many reasons to run a Social Media Marketing Campaign, here are 3 reasons:

• Customer Loyalty – Social Networks are important in keeping loyal customers and referral sources as well as generating new customers and referral sources.   Social Media allows you to nurture relationships, create trust and loyalty.  It also allows you to expand your potential clients and networks beyond in-person networking groups.
• Customer Acquisition – Whether you are a local business providing services to a specific area or a national business providing goods or services across the country the social networks allow you to get your business out and seen by more people than you ever could with in-person networking or print advertising.  Social Networks have no boundaries.
• Search Engine Optimization – The top Social Networks provide Search Engine Optimization, simply optimizing your website is not enough these days.  The keys to SEO with social media include being present and active on the top networks.  Simply signing up for a business account and Tweeting or Updating your status when you remember is not enough, you must remain active with updates and provide good content, the more active you are on the sites the larger your digital footprint and the higher up you will be on the search engines.

Just remember that Social Media is only one tool in your Marketing Toolbox, using Social Media along with other marketing tools will only assist in growing your business even more.

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From Harkable:

Via: Harkable

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Moms!  According to a study by Performics, the most active group on Facebook are Mothers and they are also more responsive to marketing messages than women without children.   Moms are 45% more likely to base their purchasing decisions on recommendations from their peers and 75% more likely to trust the information that companies are posting on Social Media.

Performics, a global performance marketing company, conducted a study comparing mothers and non-mothers on Facebook and found that:

Moms are one of the most powerful groups using Social Media, not only are they trusting their peer recommendations they are providing recommendations to their peers.   Making this data even more powerful is the finding that 85% of all purchases are made by women. (She-Economy)  This is a demographic business owners can’t ignore.

Dialing it down to industry level, Performics’ study looked at purchases the Moms made based on recommendations they received through Social Media and found:

• 28% of moms made an automobile purchase
• 38% of moms made a food purchase
• 21% of moms made purchased household products
• 29% of moms went to a restaurant
• 28% of moms made travel arrangements

The industries least successful at marketing to Moms on social media were Pharma(ceutical) Companies or Products (7%).

Business Owners be aware, it is likely that on your Page Moms are your biggest and most powerful demographic , so your marketing strategy should include content that is relevant to this group.  You can verify this by checking  your Facebook Page Insights.  You may find this Mom demographic dominates your Page, if so you need to aim your messages at these ladies for a successful campaign.

See the full Infographic by Performics.

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