Be Careful- Negotiating a Balance with Your Business’s Usage of Social Media
These days many business owners understand that social media is a significant marketing tool. In fact, about 82% of small business owners are using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram to help grow their business. Social media provides businesses with more exposure than traditional marketing and provides businesses with an opportunity to build relationships with their clients. It gives businesses the power to learn more about their target audience and collect feedback which can be incredibly helpful. Furthermore, social media is really, really popular! While there are certainly a lot of perks to integrating social media into your business’s marketing plan, business owners can’t lose sight of the value of those traditional and more personalized approaches. Here are a few ways businesses can find that perfect balance between social media and traditional forms of marketing.
Not All Consumers Are Created Equal
As social media expands into our lives, there has been a shift from traditional marketing to digital marketing. While the advertising climate is changing quickly, it is important for businesses to remember that there is a still a place for traditional marketing. Not all consumers are created equal and the needs, wants, and behaviors of consumers vary. Consumers communicate with brands both digitally and traditionally and in many cases simultaneously. The most successful businesses are those that streamline their marketing strategy across all channels to reach every consumer.
Get to Know Your Audience
The best way to find a balance between social media and traditional marketing is by analyzing your audience. What products or services does my audience want? What information are they looking for? What channels do they prefer to use and why? Once you have these answers, you can cater your marketing strategies to better meet the needs of your audience.
Analyze your ROI
How much does your business spend on traditional marketing? Do you employ a full time digital marketing staff and what are those costs? Take a closer look at the costs associated with your companies’ return on investment. From there you can determine the overall effectiveness of your marketing strategies.
Focus on the “Big 3” of Social Media
Many businesses make the mistake of jumping all in with social media and dappling a little bit in everything. This can stretch your social media presence too thin. Instead, focus on the “Big 3” of social media marketing: blogging, Facebook, and Twitter or LinkedIn. You can better balance your marketing strategy when you are juggling 3 platforms as opposed to 5 or 6. Once you’re well established in your 3 main social media platforms, you can further boost your business by incorporating digital tools such as SEO, SEM, and emails.
Use Your Marketing Strategies Simultaneously
When possible, link your digital and traditional forms of communication. For example, use your traditional channels such as print or radio to promote your social media channels. Likewise, encourage social media followers to contact you directly or join the conversation by offering incentives, exclusive offers, and coupons. You can also take feedback and positive social media reviews and post them on to your website as a way to link your traditional website with your social media followers.
The days of pushing all of your content through one channel are long gone and its’ time for businesses to start finding a balance between digital and traditional marketing strategies. You will see the greatest results and truly maximize your efforts when you integrate your marketing tools across various channels.
