Marketing News
How to serve your social media for maximum results
Do you know what it takes to stand out and engage with your customers on social media?
New research reveals that marketers’ expectations of what it means to be best in class differs from their customer’s expectations.
A leading provider of social media analytics, Sprout Social, has surveyed 500 UK and Irish marketers in addition to 500 consumers and found that although there has been a growing confidence in shopping across social platforms within the last 12 months, it appears that marketers and their customer’s expectations are misaligned with regard to how social media is used for engagement.
In its research, it found that 65% of British and Irish businesses ranked brand awareness as the main goal of social media, while just 1 in 3 businesses thought that the social aim was to contribute towards customer service.
When customers were asked what businesses could do across their company’s social media channels to keep them engaged and to buy from them rather than the competition, consumers said customer service is what matters the most. The newly published index shows that marketers could be putting undue pressure on themselves to deliver stand out content. However, what customers really care most about are those brands that put them and their interest’s first.
For modern brands with an online presence, a strong social media engagement strategy is imperative and a sign that your business is making an impact.
And it’s not just about looking popular. It’s about creating meaningful conversations while ensuring that the content that you create connects with current and future customers to help boost your brand both on and offline.
Our top tips for when your social media strategy might need a reboot:
Select your strategy
There’s no one size fits all strategy since all organisation’s goals are different. You only need to look at Domino’s Pizza and Tiffany & Co. Both companies have very different motivations for their engagement that drives the reason for creating and publishing compelling content.
The pizza company tries to create a young, fun and unique tone of voice to communicate the art of indulgence while lavish jeweller Tiffany & Co’s content is more about its rich design history that’s steeped in luxury. Both brands communicate ‘extravagance’ in two different ways.
Know your audience
Think social media marketing isn’t for you? Think again. According to the findings, last year 63% of people bought through social media, showing its rise as a shopping platform but only 17% of businesses said social media helped drive sales. And it’s not just the young, as the recent 2021 trends report showed nearly 66% of baby boomers had researched new products through social media.
Timing is everything
When is the best time to post and publish content? The good news is you can track responses and get instant analytics with social media so you can time and pre-plan content to maximise response.
Content is King
Aldi is a good example of a retailer that addresses the pain points of its customers while constantly promoting its award-winning product range. The retailer encourages shoppers to show their appreciation by ‘Liking’ one product or the other.
Show your human side
The reason why social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Youtube are so successful is because the platforms encourage two-way conversation. If you want to humanise your brand with conversations that lead successful conversions then you have to remember that people want to talk to other people, that’s especially more so after the last year given that people have craved more human contact in difficult times. Embrace storytelling, or perhaps offer something from behind the scenes of your company. Even better, show off your team of people that are at the heart of your business.
Stick to the strategy
The Sprout Social report reveals that most companies undervalue the importance of social media . Too often they say, social media is analysed in isolation, ignoring the complementary effect it can have on customer service and other parts of the marketing plan. Airbnb is a great example of how social media can be combined with other marketing channels to generate customer engagement. Airbnb often runs customer competitions in conjunction with incredible destination photos posted to Pinterest.
Further Reading:
New report reveals social marketers can relieve pressure and drive success by prioritising customer service over creative content Bdaily News
The new rules of social media marketing in 2021 Marketing Week
The Best Time to Post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn Hootsuite
