As a business owner, you know that being social media isn’t something your business can afford to continue ignoring. But just having a social media page or two, isn’t enough. In addition to maintaining consistent branding and messaging about your business across all channels, you also have to stay active and engaged with your customers through social media management.
Social Media Strategies for Success in 2018
While you should invest in developing a digital marketing strategy for the channels most relevant to your business, it can be difficult to know where to start. Fortunately, it’s not too late to learn how to leverage social media marketing to grow your bottom line.
As of 2017, more than 2.4 billion people were on social media networks in 2017 and this number is only expected to grow. In fact, by 2021, Statista predicts that more than 3 billion people to be turning to social media platforms to stay relevant and engaged with their peers.
While the era of unfettered organic reach for companies is ending on Facebook, the social network is entrenched in customers’ lives. In fact, in one study, Facebook monitored the behavior of 100 people watching television and found that 94 reported watching TV with their smart phone in their hands. Moreover, respondents also noted that using their smartphone was one of their main reasons for staying away from the TV.
Connect with customers where they spend the most time: on their phones
Research has found that almost all social media users are doing so via apps on their smartphone:
- 94% of Facebook’s monthly active users are on their phones.
- As a mobile-first app, Instagram’s users are inevitably posting from their phones.
- 82% of Twitter’s active users tweet from their phones each month.
- 60% LinkedIn’s unique visitors access the platform via their mobile devices
- 80% of Pinterest’s traffic comes from mobile phone users
- Snapchat is only accessible through mobile application and as of 2017, reported more than 158 million daily users.
Capping off these trends, is the 2017 U.S. Mobile App Report published by comScore, which found 78% of the time spent on social media is through a mobile device. This shift in how all consumers—including business owners, professionals, and investors—behave increases the importance of creating content with mobile-friendliness in mind. Not sure how to capitalize on mobile marketing? A good CRM with social media integration can help you navigate the digital marketing waters by helping you track everything from reviews to what audiences on saying about your business on social media.
Tell your brand story through a cohesive digital marketing strategy
Although certain consumer behaviors have changed because of the digital revolution, at the end of the day customers want to feel something and they WILL decide based on how you’ve made them feel. It’s because of this need for connection that telling your brand story on social media platforms is a crucial opportunity to build connections with your current and future customers.
While it may be tempting to rely on statistics to convey value, only 5% of your audience will remember numbers while more than half will remember elements of your brand story. When properly harnessed in the context of a cohesive digital marketing and sales strategy, the impact of a compelling narrative is irrefutable.
Make sure you’re there when your customers look for you
Online directories, especially high quality and authority ones like Google My Business, Yelp, Yahoo, Bing, etc., are a crucial component to helping customers find and trust your business. In addition to making sure that all the correct contact information is listed, you also want to ensure that the branding across all of your directories is consistent and incorporates SEO tools like links, keywords, and proximity categories all impact how your business ranks on search engines.
Step Up Your Social Media Game with Soffront
Social media networks, platforms, and applications comprise one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Whether your serve the public or shareholders, you shouldn’t ignore the powerful potential for impact through social media engagement and online reputation management. Connect with our team of experts to learn more about how our digital marketing services can help you stay on top of both.