Social media channels have become essential for many companies. Through the integration of these channels into your own marketing strategy, yet another touchpoint for potential customers is being established. That is why many companies create their own company profile. The user numbers speak for themselves: 3.196 billion people were using social media in 2018. Facebook alone boasts an enormous growth and by now has almost 2.17 billion users. There is no doubt then that social media will continue to serve as an important communication channel for both B2C as well as B2B companies in the future. If you want to boost your own online presence, it is definitely worth to keep track of recent developments. To raise your social media presence to the next level, you should consider the following seven points.
Marketing Technologie
Marketing technologie, Martech in short, means the combination of marketing with different technologies. This may include marketing automation, lead management, e-commerce marketing or data analysis. As is also the case for blogs, the relation between investment and income – the return on investment (ROI) – is of particular interest, as it is needed for measuring the success of the published content. Thanks to new technologies, the times of manual and thus tedious tracking are finally over: reports and campaigns can be created automatically. Facebook for example offers the possibility of ad campaigns, which can be analyzed minutely. The insights section also tells you more about reach and interaction rate of specific posts.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) supports many companies with their customer service. AI can create automated replies when you yourself may not be available. With the implementation of chatbots, you are able to provide customer service at 24/7. That way, customers always have a support base and can make requests as well as get help and answers at any time, no matter where they are located.
Chatbots are also great when it comes to communication: they are able to react to commentaries and thus trigger an interaction between prospects and company. Moreover, AI helps by analyzing and optimizing content topics, in order to subsequently fine-tune them according to the needs of a specific target group.
Personalization
You have to know your target group. Algorithms help by automatically gathering data from which they create knowledge. That way, you have the possibility to analyze touch points with (potential) customers in order to be able to carry out actions that strengthen the relationship with your prospects. The more potential buyers will identify with your brand, the higher is the possibility for a buying decision. Thanks to insights from previous analysis, you are able to provide your target group with tailored content.
Paying attention
Communication lives from interaction. Both the prospect and the company are in the position of the speaker as well as the listener from time to time. Be an attentive listener whenever your prospects have questions or insecurities. Many social media users will use the chat possibilities of individual platforms. React quickly to questions – that way, you make sure to convey a feeling of appreciation and offer a good customer service.
Videos and livestreams
Pictures say more than words, and videos are even better. According to recent marketing trends, videos will make up a large part of the content which we consume online in the near future. This doesn’t happen without a reason: in a video, you can give your customers and prospects intimate insights into your company. Livestreams are gaining momentum, too: they create a personal connection in real-time and provide a platform on which to discuss recent events. With some live-videos, like Insta-Story, you can even react directly to questions or remarks of your audience. One thing holds true: people, who are interested in a specific product are always curious to look behind the curtain and get a sneak-peak into your company’s processes.
Content
Quality over quantity – that’s the motto. Create unique and attractive content, which really interests your target group. Try to differentiate yourself from your competition but stay authentic. You should always remember that content revolving around your products is not the only thing essential, but informative, entertaining and inspiring content should also be included. Create varying content that sticks in the minds of your potential customers. With the help of analysis tools, you can track which topics hit home with your readers on social media channels. Based on that, you can think about which topics to look at in order to reach as many prospects as possible.
Influencer Marketing
For some years now, many companies have counted on influencer marketing. Be it product reviews, brand image or campaigns: the inclusion of influencers can offer advantages regarding trustworthiness and reach. However, many types of cooperation only last for a short time. They may for example include a set number of posts about your products by a specific influencer. However, it has become clear that long-time cooperation has a special value for companies. A permanent cooperation leads to a consistent and trustworthy marketing strategy.
Social media are bound to change constantly. Trends come and go, channels win and lose importance and visual requirements change as well. However, one thing is certain: social media have long since become part of our everyday lives as well as of our society. Moreover, social networks serve as platforms for providing information about companies and their products and even offer the option to purchase goods and services.
Your potential customers are active on social media – reason enough for you to adjust your own social media presence to their needs.