New social media platforms are
constantly popping up and fighting to be the next Facebook or Twitter. As the original platforms developed, brands began
to recognize their use for the business world in advertising and marketing. As these social media platforms evolve and
businesses recognize their uses, it is important for business to determine
their ROI versus their effort. Businesses
need to look at what platforms are successful tools for accomplishing their
marketing goals.
Social media platforms are a great
tool for connecting and communicating with a brands customer. In a report from Boston Retail Partners, it
was found that retailers could use social media in various ways to improve customer
relations. Most importantly, retailers
are collecting customer feedback via social media as, “59% of retailers
utilize social media comments as a means of measuring customer satisfaction”
and “60% of retailers capture customer feedback and insights from social media
and online comments” (Parry, 2016). In
order to connect with different customers, different platforms should be used. This array of platforms will give the
business an array of feedback.
Additionally, multiple social media platforms gives customers multiple
ways to connect with a company.
Multi-platform marketing can be successful
for a business if a few a key guidelines are followed as outlined by Kristin
Hoyde (2015):
Consistency –
Instead of posting when you have time, post something at the same times every
day so your audience knows when to expect it.
Quality
content – Don’t just post content to post
it. Have something meaningful to say that your viewers will want to read.
Engagement –
Interact with your audience through social media, whether it’s by answering
questions they post or by asking questions yourself.
Images –
Don’t just post links and text. People love pictures and infographics. Visuals
are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text. Businesses that have
used infographics have grown in traffic 12% more than those that don’t.
Businesses should also consider
their business type and what social media platforms portrays their business
accurately. For example, a salon may
want to maintain a Facebook page for business to detail their important details
such as hours, location, etc. Facebook
is a great anchor page for a small business that may not maintain a separate business
webpage. Facebook is also a great visual
medium. A salon would want to show off
their final product in the way of photos for potential customers to see their
body of work. Businesses that want a simple
landing page for their business with the basic information such as hours and
location can use Facebook for this simple information in leiu of a sophisticated
webpage. Facebook is also appropriate for
businesses that want to display their products in order to entice customers.
Facebook has recently upgraded their
Page tools by adding booking and ordering for social recommendations; and local
event discovery. As seen below, a salon
is able to use the booking feature to allow customers to book appointments via
Facebook:
(image from Sterling, 2016)
These call to action buttons allow
customers to further interact with the business and make the Facebook business
page a one stop shop for a customer.
Facebook Messenger acts as the confirmation communication, starting a
one on one conversation between business and customer. With these improvements, businesses can be benefit
from a, “more useful and utilitarian for local discovery and commerce” Facebook
platform (Sterling, 2016).
Instagram would be another recommended social
media platform for a business looking to display its work visually. Users could be encouraged to share their successes
with the product via this platform by tagging the location as well as business specific
hashtags. Instagram’s reach is important
as it is a mobile based platform. As
users move toward more mobile access, Instagram’s relevance for a business
increases. Luckily businesses have the opportunity
to integrate the two platforms for easy use.
As previously mentioned, it is important
to plan the implementation and use of a business’s social media platforms. This will ensure that the correct platforms
are being used and accomplishing the appropriate goals. The following elements help a business plot
out their social media platform and goals (King, 2014):
The Channel (For example, Facebook.) Continuing
with the example, we could look at Instagram for a local salon.
The Persona (Who are you
specifically targeting? Please choose one.)
The salon may be looking to
recruit younger clientele.
The Goal (Is it a sales goal,
cost-savings goal or are you trying to create a better customer experience?) With younger clientele, the salon hopes to
increase sales.
Primary Content Type (Textual,
video, infographics?) Photos will be the primary content.
Structure (What does a general post
look like?) A post could contain a photo
of the finished hairstyle with location tagged as well as applicable hashtags.
Tone (Playful, sarcastic?) A playful tone seems appropriate for a younger clientele.
Channel Integration (How will this
channel work with your other channels for maximum impact?) The salon could integrate its Facebook
and Instagram accounts.
Desired Action (What user behavior
do you want to achieve?) The salon would like interaction with new
clientele and hope for bookings by these
new followers.
Editorial Plan (Every channel needs
its own editorial calendar.) A calendar for
the salon would follow.
By plotting out the goals, use and schedule
of social media platforms, it will ensure that a business is efficiently using
the platforms and accomplishing set goals.
Social media platforms can act as
the frontline for a business. They can
introduce customers to their product, act as an engagement tool and continue to
cultivate a relationship. “Connection is
the first step. The first 50%. Conversation is the second step. The second 50% “(Brown,
2013), making the engagement with the customer just as important as the initial
contact. Social media platforms are important
for a business in terms of advertising as well as social interaction. A company should look at their business and
goals to understand what social media platforms work best for their brand. Finally, a business needs to be interactive
with their social media platforms, simply posting information will not accomplish
a brand’s goals.
References:
Brown, J. (2013). Connection vs.
Conversation. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/connection-vs-conversation
Hovde, K. (2015). Why Every Business
Should be Using Multiple Social Media Accounts. Retrieved October 31, 2016,
from http://www.business.com/social-media-marketing/why-every-business-should-be-using-multiple-social-media-accounts/
King, C. (2014). 20 Social Media
Marketing Tips From the Pros : Social Media Examiner. Retrieved October 31,
2016, from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-tips-pros/
Parry, T. (2016). 5 Key Areas to Use
Social Media to Improve the Customer Journey. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from http://multichannelmerchant.com/marketing/5-key-areas-to-use-social-media-to-improve-the-customer-journey-23082016/
Sterling, G. (2016). Facebook adds
new tools for local discovery and commerce. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from
http://marketingland.com/facebook-adds-new-tools-local-discovery-commerce-pages-195336
