If your company is not making use of social media as a means to market their business, then it is definitely NOT embracing the Digital Age. Nearly 60% of the South African population has access to the internet while 18 million of them are active users on Social Media as of January 2018. Many businesses only turn to Social Media once they have exhausted on all their direct selling marketing tactics, however it is more beneficial to use Social Media to support your other marketing activities, because of the awareness and extra traffic that Social Media can help bring.
Whether your business is service based or product based, with the right approach and content strategy, Social Media can help you attract new customers that you may not have otherwise reached. Plus Social Media offers a more targeted approach to reaching your potential customers at a lower cost which benefits start-up businesses who do not have a large marketing budget.
Now the all-important question – which Social Media platform should I use for my business? First and foremost you need to assess where your potential customers spend most of their time and why. This will help you prioritize which Social Media platforms your business needs to be on and how to create content that will resonate with your audience. Your company does not have to be on every social media platform, only those that tie into your company’s/ brand’s personality.
Secondly your business must resist the urge to focus on hard selling approaches such as posting only about discounts or specials, new product announcements or why your product/service is better than the rest. Your audience will quickly lose interest as you’re leaving out ‘the social part’ of your content. Find ways to encourage your audience to engage with your business without relying on click bait material like promotions.
Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be releasing a snapshot of the different kinds of Social Media platforms that your business can make use of, with recommendations for best social media marketing practices, that will help your business page do well! Be sure to check out our website to follow the series.
If you need help with devising a social media strategy for your business give us a shout at 087 822 1488
