Social media is a vital part of every company’s marketing campaign. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and many other social media platforms must be considered when a company wants to reach its target audience. These are necessary and to ignore them, you do so at your company’s peril.
However, social media is only a part of what a company’s marketing department does. (Whether it is a large part, or a small part, how it’s used determines its effectiveness.) It’s not a replacement.
A company will succeed only if it uses these outlets based on core marketing principles. There must be a strategy to utilize such powerful outlets, and there must be consistency in messaging.
Social media cannot be used as a stand-alone tool. It is not a destination you go to and then rest there. And, sometimes we may think the opposite, but social media is not free.
Social media is only a tool to let you engage with your audience, who is allowing you the privilege to interact with them. It is about creating relationships, and as in any relationship, there must be trust. Social media allows you to demonstrate, in one way, your value to your customer. It also allows you to tell your story – who you are, why you are different – defining your brand.
It is one part of your marketing outreach, combined with traditional marketing methods. And it takes time and money to continuously and effectively use social media to be successful in the social sphere.
Whatever service or product you provide in a B2C or B2B relationship, no amount of social media can replace the human interaction and good experience your audience should have. Also, marketers must also ensure there is consistency in their message and actions; any contradiction in messaging and action will dissuade current and potential customers. Even though social media was used to begin the relationship, you are in a live relationship, not a virtual one, and there must be trust.
Remember the 4 p’s of marketing – product, place, promotion, price. As well, begin with your clients’ needs and likes, their lifestyle. Then, you must demonstrate your value to them. From there, you can begin to build relationships with them.