Many companies assume having followers and likes equates having a strong brand. Success on social media is contingent on a brand understanding the needs and wants of its customers. A strong social media strategy helps position a brand favorably with its target audience. The deeper the connection, the better the chance to transform social media followers into strong supporters. The following 10 social media strategies will help you create this powerful connection needed to truly succeed with your online marketing.
1. Use the automation of chatbots.
Chatbots are one of the most effective tools you can use to communicate with your followers. The tool allows your company to use artificial intelligence instead of depending on human interaction, the latter of which can complicate the communication process. This creates efficiency since the technology has the ability to source information from what was previously inputted into the system as well as from previous interactions. Since customers ask tons of questions everyday pertaining to a brand they are interested in, chatbots will be able to identify and provide the best answers leading to effective solutions. There are platforms that make integrating an AI-powered chatbot into your social media strategy easy. Specifically, chatbots offer:
- Easy operation – you do not need coding knowledge
- The ability to answer questions, even the in depth ones
- The ability to take orders directly from Facebook Messenger and comments
- Integration with any payment platform
2. Create a personal experience for your customers.
The great thing about chatbots is that they allow your brand to create a personal experience for each customer. This gives your customer the sense that they are not being filtered through a generic system that provides the same response to everyone. The best way to make this happen is by sending people to your chatbox messenger window, instead of a static landing page that does not promote active interaction. The practice of linking to a chatbox messenger has the following effects when used correctly:
- Alters customers’ perception that you are only interested in hard-selling your products or services to them
- Provides a more personal customer experience
- Increases the sales generated
- Helps develop a loyal customer base
3. Create an effective content marketing strategy.
The content that produces results is content that is full of quality and value. The well-cited phrase “content is king” is true only if you work to ensure your content leads people to their desired solution. The problem many companies have when it comes to developing a strong brand, is that they are not creating content designed to attract their target audience to their social media platforms. This leads to people outside of the target customer base responding to marketing campaigns instead. High-quality SEO content coupled with all the points listed in this article will help you bring in the right customers at the right time.
4. Create a community for your followers.
A large company can have a million followers but produce half the results of the small business with only 10,000 followers. This is because the smaller company focuses on truly engaging with their followers to create a deeper connection. Similarly, you can insert personality into your brand so that your followers see your efforts in resolving their needs and interacting with them. You can make your social media interaction more engaging by doing the following:
- Ask your followers direct questions that are answered
- Ask for their opinions so you can understand how to better serve them
- Share information within your industry, and not just information related to your latest products or sales
- Like and share the information that your followers post
- Encourage your followers to share your posts with other people who could benefit from reading them
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5. Make your profiles more attractive.
Make your social media profiles more entertaining by sharing images, fun videos, and enlightening podcasts. Using a diverse approach to sharing information will help you keep your followers coming back because they never know what they are going to get next. Text-only posts can get boring because people tend to respond more favorably to things that catch their eye.
6. Utilize brand advocates.
People who are staunch supporters of your brand are the ones who will position it to win. Here’s a secret – it is more expensive to acquire new customers than to resell to your existing customers. Existing customers already know the value that your products or services provide, which makes sharing of this information to others highly effective. You can make these loyal supporters your biggest brand advocates by doing the following:
- Give them information to share about your brand
- Provide your advocates with the best social media practices
- Give your brand advocates leadership roles that include responsibilities
- Track the correct data to pinpoint areas for improvement
7. Create profiles on the most effective channels
It is a mistake to create social media profiles on as many platforms as possible in order to reach a wide range of people. You need to instead focus on engaging your customers on the social media platforms that produce the best return-on-investment. LinkedIn works best for professional services — primarily if you serve other businesses. Twitter works best for interacting with consumers. Know who you are serving so that your social media interactions produces leads that can convert into customers.
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8. Create a social media budget.
If you are not investing in communicating via social media, you are not positioning your business to produce the best results online. This is why you need to create a social media budget. Leveraging a budget with the right strategy will be the most cost-effective way for you to reach your chosen target audience. Since social media is used on a personal level, you will find that it is a platform on which you can make a deeper connection with your customers.
9. Run cross-channel campaigns.
One of the best ways to engage your customers is to run cross-channel campaigns across all your social media channels.Most companies recognize the effectiveness of utilizing this approach so it is best to find the angle that helps you stand out from your competitors. Adding an emotional connection to your campaigns will help your brand better connect with your followers so that they are willing to engage and move beyond social media. An effective cross-channel social media campaign will include the following:
- Share an engaging story
- Linking back to a targeted landing page that will give your audience more information about your campaign
- Use a unique and catchy name along with relevant hashtags
10. Share a story while going live.
The purpose of your content is to share the story of your brand – it can be very effective to emerge from your computer or phone to interact with your audience. Facebook and Instagram have created their own live streaming features that allow your brand to connect with your audience in real-time. Oddly enough, most brands have not fully realized the importance of going live with their followers. Live stories are great for the following reasons:
- Help your audience see that your concerns extend beyond making money
- Engage in real-time with your audience
- Create shareable and memorable content
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