Social Media

The Case for Social Media

Businesses that are successfully marketing online know that having a well thought out social media marketing strategy plays a key role to their success. In fact, after having a well-designed website and content that is optimized for search, a strong social media presence may very well be their next most important online marketing asset.

Why is this? Perhaps the simplest explanation is that people are social creatures. We like to compare notes and get input from others. We like to validate our thoughts and impressions against those of people who have similar experiences, and we look for “social proof” that we are on the right track.

Finally, we like to help others, and we like to engage in meaningful discussion and sharing of information. Is it any wonder then that every 60 seconds on Facebook 510,000 comments are posted, 293,000 statuses are updated, and 136,000 photos are uploaded (Source: The Social Skinny), or that 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute (Source: YouTube)?

Businesses who use social media effectively know the following:

• Social Media can create brand awareness
• Social Media engages audiences and moves them further down the path of know, like, and trust toward becoming customers
• Social Media extends their “reach” through online word-of-mouth
• Social Media can help with Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media plays an important role in amplifying their Content Marketing Strategy
• Social Media can play an important role in customer support

8 Tips for Using Social Media Effectively

1. Have a social media strategy that is part of and that supports your overall marketing strategy.
2. Build complete social media profiles that include relevant imagery, logos, and other information about your business such as hours, location, links back to your website, etc.
3. Meet your customers where they are. If your target audience isn’t on Facebook, for instance, you don’t need to be either.
4. Don’t be too “salesy”. You wouldn’t walk up to somebody at a cocktail party and say “Hi, want to buy some widgets?”, so why would you do the equivalent on social media? Social Media is, after all, social. Sales offers should only be about 10% of your overall social media posts.
5. Engage your audience. Social Media is all about conversations and getting other people to join in those conversations. That’s one way to extend reach. It also builds trust and credibility with your audience.
6. Give your audience a peek. Show them a side of your business they wouldn’t otherwise see if they weren’t connected with you on Social Media.
7. Show the human face of your business. Remember, people want to do business with those they know, like, and trust. By humanizing your business, you meet that need.
8. Don’t be argumentative. You won’t to change anyone’s mind by arguing with them on social media and you could damage your standing with your entire audience in the process.

Are You Feeling Intimidated by Social Media?

If you’re like many small business owners, the notion of effectively using social media may seem like a double whammy. First, you must spend time to figure it out. Second, you must spend time every day working in the social media realm. While large businesses may have resources to devote to social media, do you? If you don’t, how is it possible to use social media to help grow your business?

That’s where social media management services from Austin SEO for Growth come in. We have the knowledge, tools, and skills to build and manage an effective social media presence for your business. More important, we don’t view social media as something that you do simply to check off a box on a list. We know that social media is an important part of your total online presence that will support your content strategy and overall inbound marketing efforts.

Contact us today if you’d like to discuss how we can help with your social marketing needs.