2018 Social Media Use Has Changed: What You Need To Do
1. Be present and findable on social media
Regardless of business focus, your target audience is on social media platforms. Therefore be visible when prospects are in the pre-sale research phase of their purchase. Otherwise you’re off-of-their-radar.
At a minimum have a social media page and related user identities associated with your business so people can find and engage with you.
Actionable Social Media Tip:
- Complete your business’s social media profile. Include your website address and various contact methods.
2. Be responsive to and willing to engage with social media visitors
Prospects and customers expect you to be available on social media when they want to communicate with you.
48% of respondents said that being responsive prompted them to purchase from a company. (Sprout Social)
BUT: 1 in 10 social media messages get a response from a brand and it took 11 hours to get a response to a social message (Sprout Social’s 2017 Report). Oops!
Actionable Social Media Tips:
- Post employee availability in your social media profiles to manage visitor expectations. Also include average response time and other communications options.
- Incorporate social media requests into your existing communications and response systems. At a minimum, assign an employee to answer social media requests in a timely manner.
3. Provide content prospects and customers need throughout the buying process
Regardless of your target market, offer highly visual show and tell content that helps your audience to research, qualify and purchase from you. Also include sales and customer service since many social media users leave social media to purchase.
Actionable Social Media Tips:
- Include a call-to-action in purchase-related content. Where possible use a trackable link or landing page.
- Make this customer-focused content contextually relevant. Optimize the content for each social media platform. Where possible, reformat social media content when you create the original content.
4. Build community and deepen relationships on social media
Show your organization’s human side. To develop relationships with prospects and customers, participate in your organization’s social media communities as well as third party groups and forums.
Actionable Social Media Tips:
- Make social media engagement part of one or more employees’ jobs.Otherwise, it’s just something else on their To Do List.
- Engage with prospects, customers, peers, influencers and others to increase engagement. Use social media as an entry way to real life relationships.
5. Support employee participation on social media
Give your employees the tools and training they need to represent your business in the best light.
Actionable Social Media Tips:
- Offer to train employees how to use social media. Just because employees participate on their personal social media accounts doesn’t mean that they’re ready to represent your firm and brand.
- Develop and distribute a set of social media guidelines. Your goal is to ensure that everyone in your organization knows what he can and can’t do on social media.
- Document your branding guidelines. Show employees how to represent your firm on social media to keep your brand visible and consistent.
2018 Social Media Use Conclusion
Your 2018 social media usage must move beyond content distribution and promotion to include customer service, sales, and community building.
Your objective is to build relationships that change to leads and sales as well as create and/or become part of a community that knows and respect you.
The best way to accomplish this is to deliver the content your audience actively seeks on social media even before you know that they’re in-market for your products and services. At the same time, be available to engage with them and answer their questions.
In the process, you’ll learn more about your target audience and deepen relationships with prospects, customers, influencers and partners.
Source: www.HeidiCohen.com
