S.M.M business are now springing up all over the place these days and they are informing anybody that will listen about how incredibly crucial social media like Facebook twitter and YouTube are to your company however, for the average little to medium sized company, does marketing to social networks actually live up to all the buzz? Social media marketing companies are all too delighted to point out the positives of social media like how numerous people utilize Facebook or how many tweets were sent out last year and how lots of people watch YouTube videos etc. however are you getting the full picture? Being the research nut that I am, I chose to take a great look into SMM in regard to offering to see if it really worked, who did it work for and if it did why did Social Media Marketing work for them?
As a web designer I was constantly (and now significantly) confronted with numerous social networking challenges when possible clients would state that having a website sounds great however they had a Facebook company page and had been informed by various sources (the ever present yet confidential "they") that social networks were the important things to do, but after discussing their requirements it became rather clear that those prospective clients didn't in fact understand why they required social media networks or SMM to create online sales, They just desired it. For small and medium sized company I always advised developing a quality site over any type of social network, why? Well it's easy truly due to the fact that social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not company media and organisation networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). I understand that sounds basic however it holds true and the data back it up. The reality is that social media marketing fails to inform you that Facebook is a social media not an online search engine and in spite of the number of Facebook users and Google users being around the very same, individuals do not use Facebook in the same way that they utilize a search engine like Google (which has around half the online search engine market), Yahoo and Bing to search for service or products. They use it to correspond with family and friends or for news and home entertainment. In a recent study done by the IBM Institute for Organisation Value around 55% of all social media users mentioned that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and just around 23% actually purposefully utilize social media to communicate with brand names. Now out of all the people who do utilize social media and who do communicate with brand names whether purposefully or not, the bulk (66%) say they need to feel a business is communicating truthfully prior to they will communicate.
So how do you utilize social media marketing? And is it even worth doing?
Well initially of all I would say that having a well enhanced site is still going to bring you far more organisation that social media in most cases especially if you are a small to medium sized local service due to the fact that far more individuals 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 Site and if you don't have a site you're missing out on out on all of that possible business. Despite all the (not so good) stats I still think it is still a great concept for organisation to use social media just not in the same way that a lot of SMM experts are today, Why? Is it in a Social Media Marketing business's finest interest to talk social networks up?
One of the most significant problems company face with social networks and SMM is perception. The main factor the majority of individuals offer for engaging with brand names or service on social media is to get discounts, yet the brands and company themselves think the main factor individuals engage with them on social media is to discover about brand-new products. Many businesses think social media will increase advocacy, but only 38 % of consumers agree.
There were some great initiatives revealed in the IBM study of business that had gotten some sort of a manage on how to use social media to their benefit, keeping in mind that when asked what they do when they engage with organisations or brand names through social media, consumers note "getting discounts or vouchers" and "acquiring products and services" as the leading two activities, respectively an U.S ice cream business called Cold Stone Creamery provided discounts on their products on their Facebook page. With both Cold Stone Creamery and Twelpforce the advantage is clearly in the favour of the fantastic trick & the potential client to social media marketing is to offer without trying to offer (or looking like your selling) sadly most social media marketing is focused the incorrect way.
Constructing a tangible purchaser to customer relationship by means of social media is difficult and most likely the most benefit to company' utilizing social media to improve their sites Google rankings. But organisation' have to understand that you cannot just setup a Facebook organisation page and expect the very best. SMM requires effort and prospective consumers need to see worth in what you need to provide via your social media efforts provide something worth their social interaction and time and after that you may improve outcomes.
Now just as a footnote Facebook shares have dropped to under $20 per share, that's half their original rate ... and the lawsuits are flying
As a web designer I was continuously (and now progressively) faced with several social networking challenges when prospective clients would say that having a site sounds great but they had a Facebook service page and had actually been told by various sources (the ever present yet anonymous "they") that social networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their requirements it ended up being rather clear that those possible clients didn't Social Media Agency actually know why they required social networks or SMM to create online sales, They simply wanted it. Well it's basic truly since social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not service media and service networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a current study done by the IBM Institute for Service Value around 55% of all social media users mentioned that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and only around 23% really actively use social media to engage with brand names. Well first of all I would state that having actually a well enhanced site is still going to bring you far more organisation that social media in the majority of cases particularly if you are a little to medium sized local business because far more people 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 Website and if you do not have a website you're missing out on all of that prospective company. The primary reason many people offer for interacting with brand names or company on social media is to get discount rates, yet the brands and business themselves believe the primary factor people communicate with them on social media is to discover about brand-new items.
