Social Media Marketing

Word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective marketing and branding tools available to any business. It is organic and it provides a certain level of immediate validation. The emergence of social networks has introduced a new platform on which word-of-mouth is carried out on a viral level. When a user clicks either the “Share,” “Like,” or “Follow” button, they are, in essence, endorsing the content and indirectly endorsing your brand. Sharing the content immediately places that content in front of other users who will have the option to share it with even more users.

An effective marketing campaign is built around customer engagement. Engagement expresses the distinct nature of these types of platforms in that both businesses and consumers are participants on the social platform. The ability to engage your target audience has multitudinous benefits. Direct engagement helps to build trusting relationships, which are paramount to increasing conversion rates and building customer loyalty. By observing the manner in which customers interact with you, you will be able to tailor your marketing approach to appeal to their needs and expectations.

Your site content is one of the most important elemental factors in the process of increasing your web traffic and enhancing your SEO efforts. The same applies to any social-media campaign. The most efficacious method of increasing exposure on these types of sites is to produce consistent high-quality content that is designed to draw in your customer base. Content consists of videos, written articles, pictures, news, links, and any other type of content that your customer base would consider important.

One way that you can effectively increase your visibility on these type of platforms is to invest in advertising. Marketing statistics reveal that Facebook alone captured more than one-fourth of the U.S. display advertising market last year. This figure has been increasing steadily over the past several years, and it is projected that it will continue to increase as more businesses become aware of the leverage that this site provides.

Here are some statistics from the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report which demonstrate how lucrative advertisers find social media marketing[3]. These statistics were from a study that included 1,800 marketers in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) marketing:

• Exposure- 85% of the marketers said the websites generated exposure for their business.
• Improved search rankings – 54% of these marketers said the websites helped increased the Search Engine Results Position (SERP) of their business website.
• More traffic – 63% of marketers in the study said their business website experienced increased traffic, an increase in subscribers, or a larger opt-in list because of social networking websites.
• New business partnerships – 56% of the marketers said the websites helped them form new business partnerships.
• Lead generation- 52% of the marketers said the websites helped them generate quality sales leads.
• Increased sales – 48% of the marketers in the study said the social media websites helped them sell products or services, or close business deals.

Relatively speaking, this type of marketing is an entirely new and unsaturated arena that will continue to build momentum in the coming years. It is vital for businesses to exploit the advantage presented through the networks. At Fox Web Creations, we offer a comprehensive approach to social media marketing in Kansas City.