S.M.M business are now springing up all over the location these days and they are informing anybody that will listen about how incredibly essential social media like Facebook twitter and YouTube are to your organisation however, for the average small to medium sized service, 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 lots of people utilize Facebook or how lots of tweets were sent out last year and how many individuals watch YouTube videos and so on however are you getting the full photo? Being the research study nut that I am, I chose to take a good appearance into SMM in regard to selling 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 developer I was continuously (and now increasingly) challenged with numerous social networking difficulties when potential customers would state that having a site sounds great however they had a Facebook company page and had been told by various sources (the ever present yet confidential "they") that social media networks were the important things to do, however after discussing their requirements it became quite clear that those prospective customers didn't in fact understand why they required social networks or SMM to produce online sales, They just wanted it. For medium and little sized company I always recommended building a quality website over any type of social media network, why? Well it's easy really because 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). I understand that sounds easy however it holds true and the statistics back it up. The truth is that social media marketing fails to inform you that Facebook is a social media not a search engine and despite the variety of Facebook users and Google users being around the same, people do not utilize Facebook in the same way that they utilize a search engine like Google (which has around half the search engine market), Yahoo and Bing to search for company or products. They use it to communicate with friends and family or for news and home entertainment. In a recent study done by the IBM Institute for Company Value around 55% of all social media users specified that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and just around 23% in fact actively utilize social media to engage with brand names. Now out of all individuals who do utilize social media and who do interact with brands whether purposefully or not, the majority (66%) say they have to feel a company is interacting truthfully before they will communicate.
How do you use social media marketing? And is it even worth doing?
Well initially of all I would say that having a well optimized website is still going to bring you far more service that social media in most cases particularly if you are a small to medium sized local organisation 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 Website and if you do not have a website you're missing out on out on all of that potential company. In spite of all the (not so excellent) data I still think it is still a great concept for service to utilize social media simply not in the same way that a lot of SMM professionals are today, Why? Is it in a Social Media Marketing company's best interest to talk social networks up?
I believe the major distinction in between socials media and online search engine is intent. People who use Google are deliberately looking for something so if they do a search for hairdressers that's what they are searching for at that specific time. With something like Facebook the main intent is normally to get in touch with friends and family. In October 2008, Mark Zuckerberg himself said "I don't think social media networks can be generated income from in the same way that search (Online search engine) did ... In three years from now we have to figure out exactly what the maximum model is. But that is not our main focus today". Among the biggest issues organisation confront with social networks and SMM is understanding. According to the IBM Institute for Business Worth research study there were "significant gaps in between what services think consumers appreciate and what customers say they want from their social media interactions with companies." For example in today's society people are not just going to hand you over there recommendations, Facebook likes, comments or details without getting something back for it, so the old saying "what's in it for me?" enters into play. So the main reason most people give for communicating with brand names or company on social media is to get discounts, yet the brands and organisation themselves think the primary reason individuals communicate with them on social media is to find out about brand-new items. For brands and company receiving discounts just ranks 12th on their list of reasons why individuals engage with them. A lot of companies think social media will increase advocacy, but only 38 % of consumers concur.
There were some excellent efforts shown in the IBM study of business that had gotten some sort of a handle on how to utilize social media to their advantage, keeping in mind that when asked what they do when they connect with services or brands through social media, consumers list "getting discount rates or discount coupons" and "buying products and services" as the top two activities, respectively an U.S ice cream business called Cold Stone Creamery used discount rates on their items on their Facebook page. With both Cold Stone Creamery and Twelpforce the advantage is clearly in the favour of the possible consumer & the excellent technique to social media marketing is to offer without attempting to sell (or looking like your selling) unfortunately most social media marketing is focused the wrong way.
Constructing a concrete buyer to consumer relationship via social media is hard and most likely the most benefit to service' utilizing social media to improve their sites Google rankings. Service' need to comprehend that you can't simply setup a Facebook business page and hope for the finest. SMM requires effort and possible customers have to see worth in what you need to offer through your social media efforts give them something worth their social interaction and time and after that you may get better outcomes.
Now just as a footnote Facebook shares have dropped to under $20 per share, that's half their initial price ... and the claims are flying
As a web designer I was constantly (and now progressively) confronted with a number of social networking challenges when possible clients would state that having a website sounds excellent but they had a Facebook company page and had actually been informed by various sources (the ever present yet anonymous "they") that social networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their requirements it became quite clear that those potential customers didn't in fact know why they required social networks or SMM to create online sales, They just desired it. Well it's basic really because social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not business media and company networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a recent study done by the IBM Institute for Service Worth around 55% of all social media users mentioned that they do not engage with brand names over social media at all and just around 23% in fact actively utilize social media to interact with brands. Well first of all I would state that having actually a well enhanced website is still going to bring you far more business that social media in many cases especially if you are a little to medium sized regional business because 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 Website and if you don't have a website you're missing out on out on all of that potential company. The primary reason many people provide for interacting with brands or company on social media is to Website get discount rates, yet the brand names and business themselves think the main factor people communicate with them on social media is to find out about brand-new items.
