It is an old truth that people like to buy. But nobody likes to be sold to! This is especially true on social media channels. So how do you do it successfully?
Be reliable
Increasingly, companies are using content created and shared by their followers. This ensures a higher volume of content and acts as a positive recommendation from a friend to the next interested party. It’s not the company praising its product/service, it’s ordinary people, real users, sharing their realistic experience. A shared good experience unites users and brings them back to consume again. A good way to build credibility for your brand is to motivate your customers to give feedback on your products/services. In return, offer a discount coupon or some other brand-related benefit. Posts and stories will spread among your friends, who are also more likely to become new customers because of the positive feedback. As a bonus, you’ll be able to produce new and interesting content for your page.
Provide fresh and original content
Users’ fear of missing out on something interesting is constant, which is why the creation of short, engaging content (stories) is an ideal way to capture and hold their attention. Share real-life clips, show how life is behind the scenes, share lessons, quirks, humour. The possibilities are endless. For example, asking for feedback via stories, where users can simply give their opinion by answering “NO” or “YES”.
Think about the video format
People love to watch stories that they can identify with and that are engaging. Create ‘series’ where the story is longer than just one video post. Visually linked stories are engaging even in retrospect and create value for the long term. The use of video in marketing allows you to select people who have watched the video for more than a minute, for example, and to target this audience with advertising later.
It is also worth doing live broadcasts. They attract much more attention than a live broadcast, because the event is happening right now, in the moment. The viewer has the opportunity to interactively take part in the moment and have their say.
Use your company’s employees, partners, users – all of which can help your company get closer to your consumers.
Use influencers and content marketers
The range ofinfluencers is huge, their following many times larger. However, the influencer with the biggest fan base may not be the best choice for you. His or her single post does nothing for your business. The partnership needs to be a long-term one. A better choice might be a larger number of small influencers, each with their own distinct following. Trust the recommendations of influencers and give them a free hand. Not for nothing do they have hundreds of followers and voices. But they can’t do all the work for you, they can only direct new potential customers to your door. From now on, you have to produce exciting content yourself to convert the newcomer into a loyal consumer. When looking for influencers, make sure they value the same principles as your brand. This way you can be sure that your followers are the target audience who are interested in your product/service.
Communicate with the client
There are a million ways to communicate – Facebook Messenger, Intagram, WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, SnapChat. These are not just for private use, they can also be used very successfully by businesses. For example: a customer is browsing a product in an online shop, has a question. The quickest and easiest way for them to contact you is to use a chatbot.
If you can’t be available all the time yourself, consider adding a chatbot, or robot. They’re always there, no matter what time of day, and they can make your customer service faster by being able to answer a lot of questions at once.
Phones and email are no longer number one – today people are much more inclined to communicate through various social media channels and chats. Be flexible and create a comfortable environment to communicate with your customers.
Use targeting(targeting & retargeting)
Targeting is a very powerful feature that allows you to be visible to customers who might be interested in your product/service. For example, it doesn’t make sense to advertise lunch offers from a café in Pärnu, Tallinn or lipsticks for men. Direct your advertising money where the buyers are!
Retargeting is an even more powerful tool for targeting ads to people who have already shown an interest in you. They’re already ‘known’, they’ve been to the website, so it’s easier to invite them to take the next step. This is also a kind of communication between you and the customer. Remind them of you and your service/product and point them in the right direction. Invite him to act!
Nowadays, it is possible to target advertising to very specific audiences at very specific times. It’s worth learning to take advantage of this.
And most importantly. Mobile view always first! Make sure the content you create is easily consumable on mobile devices. Mobile phones are everywhere with us. The first thing your hand reaches for is your phone when you need to find something quickly, make a purchase or get away from it all!
