The goal of social media channels, a blog, and email marketing is to reach your consumer with relevant information. A company website is the first stop for many potential clients but next is your social media. People want to view what’s behind the curtain and see your expertise or products in action. They want to engage with you and are looking for information and a way to connect with your brand.
Social media can also position your company and products along the customer journey and ultimately, push them forward until they’re ready to buy. This requires a great content/social strategy—one that truly helps your audience and builds trust with your brand.
Let’s explore three distinct ways to utilize social media strategy and how it can help you achieve your marketing and sales objectives.
Social as a Lead
This strategy is focused on using social media to drive traffic to your website, generate new leads, and ultimately grow revenue. Tactics that businesses can use to achieve these goals include creating compelling content, leveraging social media advertising and optimizing social media profiles. You must be dialed into your target audience and working from a strong set of audience personas is helpful.
Social as Community
According to some marketers, community building is the next big thing in brand marketing. For some brands, building a community around their brand is not only organic but a great way to create superfans. But did you know that you can create an online community via social media? This strategy focuses on using social media to engage in your community of like-minded people and having conversations and most importantly, being a part of the discussions. This is not one-way communication and you are not speaking to an audience. Tactics to use here include creating shareable content, engaging with their followers through online events, and leveraging user-generated content.
Social as Clout
The Clout strategy focuses on using social media to establish a business as a thought leader in its industry or vertical, provide social customer service, and increase mentions in the press. If this is your objective, create thought-provoking content, respond promptly to customer inquiries, and build relationships with influencers in your industry. Answer common FAQs by your customers and speak to the pain points of your audience. But keep in mind, to be a true thought leader in your space, bring something new to the table. Your content should lead with insight that can’t be found with an easy Google search.
Are you on social media to promote your products? To drive traffic to your website? Or to serve your customers? Which of the following social media goals is best suited for your brand and aligns with your objectives?
- Drive traffic to your website
- Increase brand awareness
- Generate new leads
- Grow revenue by increasing sign ups or sales
- Boost brand engagement
- Build a community around your business
- Provide social customer service
- Increase mentions in the press
- Listen to conversations about your brand
For help deciding how to best use social media as part of your marketing strategy, grab a spot on our calendar.
