Social media is today the biggest platform for any business venture. Whether you are a start-up or an established brand you need to be present on all social media platforms to leverage potential and keep your business growing. The Internet as a source of information and market opportunities is a humongous platform and as companies get into the game they establish a footprint in the market. From Facebook to Twitter, LinkedIn to Fastpitch, Instagram to Pinterest to Tumblr, the list keeps growing and this necessitates that businesses stay tuned to make the best of the plethora of opportunities that the world of social media has thrown forth.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook had once said, “Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message.” This becomes true when it comes to social media. All these channels are nothing but your biggest friends in electronic media that enhance the popularity of your products through online presence. Marketing executives that companies hire may or may not have impact on strangers and whatever impact is created will be limited geographically but social media has no such limitations. It is available 24×7 as your business partner transmitting your business and keeping it alive in the minds of the public.
Concurring with the views of Zuckerberg, Annie Winter, and an Australia based blogger and social media enthusiast said, “Social media has changed the way businesses used to operate two decades ago. Online channels such as Facebook and Twitter give companies a free hand to place advertisements and connect with the entire world with the press of a button. Social media is the key to open up a world of business opportunities and procure clients, understand their requirements and give for them what they are looking for. In the way, you build a rapport that can be long-lasting.”
Read: Facebook Marketing Strategy
Perhaps the biggest thing that social media does is that it creates brand awareness even when you start from zero. Your potential customers by clicking on your page will gather knowledge on the products that you display. It builds a perception about your company. Carefully constructed audio-visuals and messaging on your viral marketing sites will pay rich dividends. It is important that the messages need to be consistent with the kind of brand image that you want to promote. It is also important to focus on following like-minded companies to help create synergies between your products and services. Furthermore, always take a feedback from your customer on your products. You could initiate a conversation with them. Engaging your company with customers online will further increase chances of garnering business opportunities and build your brand among the public.
Generally, people would retain or share information which is of use for them in their daily life and getting the pulse of your customer and bring forth such brands will obviously create rooms for accommodating your business within their mindsets. Additionally, it is important that besides keeping your customer engaged the officials of your company act professionally and operate within boundaries that they are supposed to do. You shouldn’t indulge in abusive language when a customer doesn’t buy your product or gives a negative comment about it in the company’s social media page.
Whenever a customer chooses to buy a product from a company the first thing that he or she would do is to read the business’ social media page. Reviews play an important role in this. Many customers will try out your product because their close friend or relative or colleagues have liked your product, used them and posted positive feedback on it. So having a large social media following is very critical to keep your business running. Positive reviews matter a lot.
Perhaps you could do this by posting an interview of one of your customers that have used your product because it will be they who will be speaking rather than you mouthing about your company. In this way, you could avoid beating your own drum. However, as in every business, social media also has its pitfalls.
There are cases when a customer or anyone from the public may post some seriously negative comments creating an adverse impact on your business. The best way to get back into the rating is by getting your customers happy with your services to post positive feedback which can overshadow the negative effects.
Whatever be the case it is true that today social media plays a prominent role in shaping business and the onus is on companies on how to make best use of the opportunities brought forth by these channels and establish their presence across the globe successfully.
