S.M.M companies are now springing up all over the place these days and they are telling anybody that will listen about how extremely important social media like Facebook twitter and YouTube are to your company but, for the typical small to medium sized organisation, does marketing to social networks actually live up to all the hype? Social media marketing companies are all too happy to point out the positives of social media like how numerous people use Facebook or how numerous tweets were sent out last year and how numerous individuals enjoy YouTube videos and so on but are you getting the complete photo? Being the research nut that I am, I decided to take a great appearance into SMM in regard to offering to see if it actually worked, who did it work for and if it did why did Social Media Marketing work for them?
As a web designer I was continuously (and now increasingly) faced with numerous social networking difficulties when possible customers would say that having a website sounds excellent but they had a Facebook organisation page and had actually been told by different sources (the ever present yet confidential "they") that social networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their needs it ended up being quite clear that those possible customers didn't really know why they required social networks or SMM to create online sales, They just wanted it. Well it's basic actually because social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not organisation media and organisation networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a current study done by the IBM Institute for Organisation Worth around 55% of all social media users stated that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and just around 23% really purposefully use social media to engage with brands.
How do you use social media marketing? And is it even worth doing?
Well first of all I would say that having actually a well optimized website is still going to bring you far more company that social media in the majority of cases especially if you are a small to medium sized local organisation due to the fact that far more people are going to type in "hairdresser Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Website and if you do not have a site you're missing out on all of that prospective company. In spite of all the (not so great) stats I still think it is still a good concept for business to utilize social media simply not in the same way that a lot of SMM experts are today, Why? Is it in a Social Media Marketing company's finest interest to talk social networks up?
I think the major difference in between social media networks and search engines is intent. Individuals who utilize Google are intentionally searching for something so if they do a look for hair stylists that's exactly what they are looking for at that particular time. With something like Facebook the main intent is usually to connect with friends and family. In October 2008, Mark Zuckerberg himself said "I do not believe social media networks can be monetized in the same way that search (Search Engines) did ... In three years from now we need to find out exactly what the optimal model is. That is not our main focus today". One of the biggest problems company face with social networks and SMM is perception. Inning accordance with the IBM Institute for Organisation Worth study there were "significant gaps in between what services believe customers appreciate and what consumers say they desire from their social media interactions with companies." In today's society individuals are not just going to hand you over there recommendations, Facebook likes, comments or details without getting something back for it, so the old adage "what's in it for me?" enters play. So the primary reason many people offer for connecting with brand names or company on social media is to get discount rates, yet the brands and service themselves think the main factor individuals communicate with them on social media is to find out about new items. For brand names and service receiving discount rates only ranks 12th on their list of reasons people interact with them. The majority of businesses believe social media will increase advocacy, but just 38 % of customers agree.
There were some good initiatives revealed in the IBM study of companies that had actually gotten some sort of a handle on how to utilize social media to their benefit, keeping in mind that when asked what they do when they engage with businesses or brands by means of social media, customers list "getting discounts or discount coupons" and "purchasing items and services" as the leading 2 activities, respectively an U.S ice cream company called Cold Stone Creamery provided discounts on their items on their Facebook page. With both Cold Stone Creamery and Twelpforce the advantage is clearly in the favour of the terrific technique & the potential client to social media marketing is to sell without attempting to sell (or looking like your selling) sadly most social media marketing is focused the wrong method.
Building a tangible buyer to customer relationship by means of social media is difficult and most likely the most benefit to organisation' utilizing social media to increase their websites Google rankings. But business' need to comprehend that you cannot just setup a Facebook company page and hope for the best. SMM requires effort and SEO Agency potential customers need to see worth in exactly what you need to provide via your social media efforts give them something worth their social interaction and time then you might get better outcomes.
Now just as a footnote Facebook shares have actually dropped to under $20 per share, that's half their original price ... and the suits are flying
As a web developer I was continuously (and now significantly) challenged with numerous social networking challenges when potential customers would state that having a website sounds good but they had a Facebook company page and had been informed by numerous sources (the ever present yet anonymous "they") that social networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their requirements it became rather clear that those possible clients didn't really understand why they needed social networks or SMM to produce online sales, They simply wanted it. Well it's basic actually because social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not service media and business networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a recent research study done by the IBM Institute for Organisation Value around 55% of all social media users specified that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and only around 23% really actively utilize social media to interact with brands. Well first of all I would state that having actually a well optimized website is still going to bring you far more company that social media in a lot of cases especially if you are a small to medium sized regional service due to the fact that far more individuals are going to type in "hair stylist Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Site and if you don't have a site you're missing out on out on all of that potential company. The main reason most individuals offer for interacting with brand names or business on social media is to get discount rates, yet the brands and business themselves think the main factor individuals interact with them on social media is to discover about new products.
