Social media has become increasingly mainstream over the last ten years and these days pretty much everyone from 8 to 80 uses at least one social media network on a daily basis. But whilst you probably frequent sites such as Facebook in your personal life without giving it much thought, it is vital that you get to grips with social media marketing in the business sphere.

The Importance of Social Media

Too many businesses fail to grasp the importance of social media marketing. They don’t pay attention to what’s happening in the world of social media and as a result lose out on business and customers to their more social media savvy competitors.

Social media marketing can help you build brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, help increase the visibility of your products and services, find customers, and create a community of customers who are passionate about your brand. It takes time, effort, and financial investment to make a success of social media marketing, but if you get it right, it is an incredibly powerful form of “word of mouth” marketing.

Here’s how to make it work for your business:

What is the Goal of Social Media Marketing?

Before you do anything, you must decide what it is you are hoping to achieve. Storming forwards without a clear strategy is a waste of time and money, so don’t even think about creating a Facebook page or setting up a Twitter account unless you are clear about your end goal.

What Are You Offering?

Social media is a two-way relationship that continually evolves over time. People rarely follow Twitter feeds or link to Facebook pages unless there is something in it for them. Therefore your business or brand needs to be in a position to give something back, even if it’s simply a chuckle on a boring Monday morning.

Be a Good Listener

Selling a product or brand is not as easy as it first appears. The market is saturated with gimmicky products and services and customers have seen it all before. What separates a good sales person from a mediocre one is the ability to really listen to what people are saying. If you don’t pay attention, how are you going to work out what your customers want?

Social media is full of useful information, so harvest the nuggets and use them to grow fruit. Spend time listening to what your customers are saying and you can use this information to plan future marketing campaigns. Find out what people are unhappy about and solve their problems. Identify gaps in the market and fill them. The conversation on social media is always in the “here and now”, so use it to inform your social strategic thinking.

Choose the Right Platform

Facebook is the biggest of them all, but don’t ignore other social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Before you post anything online, ask yourself whether it will entertain, resonate or inform, and is it worth sharing. Social media doesn’t work unless there are opportunities for dialogue and exchange of ideas/opinions. And if you tick all of these boxes, you should be well on your way to success.