“Success on social media is not just about likes and shares, but about creating long-lasting relationships with your customers.”
Social media is not just posting and sharing on Facebook, Insta or Twitter a few times a day. Rather, it’s much more than that.
The power of social media allows your business to make noise that’s heard in every corner of the world and stand out against your competitors, influencers and other big names.
In a nutshell, makes you a BRAND which is loved by people beyond boundaries.
So, whether you’re a small business owner just starting out or a seasoned entrepreneur looking to grow your brand, read on to discover how you can use social media to reach more customers and grow your business.
Likes, Shares, Sales: Influence of Social Media on Businesses
Before the popularity of social media marketing, customers used to reach their brand using emails, calls and other customer support services.
Some of them got addressed and some not. This lack of transparency left the customer frustrated and dissatisfied.
Not anymore. Social media puts an end to this indirect communication by taking the things a notch above.
The direct engagement between the customer and the business led to better connection, increased satisfaction and added more loyalty amongst the customers.
Wanna know influence of social media? Have a look at these statistics (2023)
- 73% of businesses use social media for marketing purposes. (Source: HubSpot)
- 84% of B2B marketers use social media to generate leads. (Source: Demand Gen Report)
- The average company spends $20,000 per month on social media marketing. (Source: Social Media Examiner)
- Social media can help businesses increase website traffic by 30%. (Source: Search Engine Journal) and generate leads by 240%. (Source: HubSpot)
The data speaks for itself.
Website is not enough!
If technology is getting smarter, so are netizens.
Things have changed. It’s the social media accounts that concludes the authenticity of the businesses. Websites are preferred in the later stages.
It’s the business’ number of followers and post engagement that tell us about customer loyalty and fan following.
This direct engagement between businesses and consumers is great because it holds businesses accountable and makes them feel more human.
Instead of hiding behind a brand logo, businesses can engage with customers and create a brand voice that sounds real, not just like a sales-y advertisement.
Understanding the customer preferences like a Pro
To achieve success, it is imperative to prioritize the needs and preferences of your customers.
By engaging with customers online, businesses can also see what their customers like and don’t like.
They can post questions and polls, and get direct input from customers, opening up a conversation that lets them feel heard and valued.
It’s a win-win situation for both businesses and customers!
Some Brands that painted the world red with their extraordinary social media marketing strategies
- Gymshark (A UK-based fitness apparel company)
Gymshark was founded in 2012 by a teenager with a starting capital of £1,000. In 2021, Gymshark made £261 million in revenue and was named the UK’s fastest-growing company.
They use social media to showcase their products, collaborate with influencers, and build a community of fitness enthusiasts.
- BrewDog (Scottish craft beer company)
BrewDog used social media to create a cult-like following and has 424K followers in Instagram, 49.2K subs on YouTube and 178.1K Followers on Twitter (2023).
BrewDog is recognized for their innovative and attention-grabbing marketing campaigns on social media where they engage with their customers and promote their latest products.
- Innocent Drinks (UK-based beverage company)
Innocent Drinks grew its Twitter following from 8,000 to over 63,000 in just over a year, through humour and creative campaigns (source: The Guardian).
Their social media campaigns have been widely praised, including their “Chain of Good” campaign on Twitter and their “Big Knit” campaign on Facebook, which encouraged customers to knit hats for Innocent’s smoothie bottles to raise money for charity (source: Socialbakers).
They have a witty and relatable social media presence, which has helped them build a loyal following.
Is Social Media Worth the Effort for Your Business?
Global audience … Check
Boost sales and growth…. Absolutely
Strong brand Identity …. Exactly
Social media serves as an amazing platform that offers you incredible visibility across the Internet, but it requires dedicated effort.
Is your business worth this effort? It’s time to consider the type of business you’re in.
Generally speaking, any business can benefit from having a social media presence. But there may be certain businesses that may not find it necessary to invest time and resources into social media.
For example:
- B2B (business-to-business) companies that primarily sell to other businesses rather than individual consumers, as their target audience may not be as active on social media platforms. (Source: Forbes)
- Local businesses with a small customer base and limited resources, as their time and budget may be better spent on other marketing efforts. (Source: Social Media Today)
- Highly regulated industries such as finance, healthcare etc, as they may face restrictions on what they can post on social media. (Source: Hootsuite)
- Niche businesses with a very specific target audience, as they may not have enough followers on social media platforms to make it worth the effort. (Source: Business News Daily)
Ultimately, it depends on the specific circumstances and goals of each business.
Social media: A Game Changer for Businesses
Let’s have a look at some common social media platforms and business that can benefit from them.
This list is NOT EXHAUSTIVE and businesses in other industries may also benefit from these platforms.
It’s important to research and evaluate which social media platform is best for your specific business goals and target audience.
| Social Media Platform | Businesses That Can Benefit |
| e-commerce, hospitality, healthcare, real estate, and customer service. | |
| Fashion, Beauty, Food, Travel, Photography, Creative services, Event planning, Fitness | |
| Retail, E-commerce, Local businesses, Professional services, Non-profits, Healthcare, Hospitality | |
| Media, News outlets, Customer service, B2B, Technology, Sports, Entertainment | |
| B2B, Professional services, Finance, Education, Human resources, Job recruiting, Consulting | |
| Snapchat | fashion and beauty brands, food and beverage brands, entertainment companies, and event planners |
| Tech startups, Gaming, Niche communities, News and discussion-based businesses, Online education, Digital marketing | |
| Home decor, DIY, wedding planning, fashion, beauty, food, fitness | |
| TikTok | Fashion, Beauty, Food, Music, Entertainment, Travel, Influencers, Education |
| Houzz | Home renovation, interior design, architecture, and landscaping businesses |
| YouTube | Beauty and fashion, Cooking and food, Fitness and health, Travel/tourism, Education tutorials, Product reviews/unboxing, Entertainment/humour, Personal/lifestyle blogging, Music/ performing arts, Technology, gaming. |
Reaching the Right Audience: The Challenge Begins Here
POV: You need to be there where your audience is, else the effort is useless.
Wondering your social media efforts are not rewarding? Then this section answers your question.
Finding the audience and the right platform is intimidating but possible. If you’re striking while the iron is hot and it’s not moulding then probably either the iron isn’t hot enough or the hammer isn’t strong enough to make the iron cast.
Same goes with social media, either the platform you’re choosing doesn’t resonates with the needs or you aren’t providing the users what they’re looking for.
Understand this with an example:
Suppose you’re a fruit drinks company and people are excited to watch what all remixes (recipes) can be made with your drinks.
You chose the platform as Twitter to just showcase the pictures of your drinks that just promotes your brand.
This will Not Work. Irrespective of your consistently posting or paid promotion. It simply won’t work.
Reasons?
- Wrong selection of platform
- Wrong selection of content
Solution:
Choose Insta, Facebook or YouTube as your preferred platform.
Post what people like such as creative recipes using your fruit drinks and make these a must have when guests arrive at your customers place. Something like inspiring FOMO.
This will organically take your posts to heights.
Now, how to select right social media platform and understand your audience preferences? With Example
By understanding your audience and creating content that resonates with their preferences, you can increase engagement and build a strong presence on social media.
👉🏼 let’s understand the concept with help of an example of an IT startup, say PollyPro IT Solutions, that provides cloud-based project management solutions.
- Define your target audience
Start by identifying who your ideal customers are based on demographics, interests, and behaviours.
👉🏼 For PollyPro, their ideal customers would be project managers, team leaders, and business owners who are looking for efficient project management solutions.
- Doing Competitor analysis
Researching your competitors on social media can provide valuable insights into the platforms they use, the content they share, and the audience they target, helping you to refine your own social media strategy.
For example, if your targeted audience is millennials, then platforms like Instagram and Snapchat may be more suitable.
👉🏼 Based on the research, the IT startup can find that LinkedIn is the most suitable platform for them as it has a large professional user base, including project managers and business owners who are interested in innovative solutions for their projects.
- Analysing platform features
Understand the features and strengths of each social media platform and how they align with your business goals. For instance, if you’re a B2B company, LinkedIn may be a better fit than Instagram.
PollyPro can use LinkedIn to showcase their professional services or achievements, while YouTube can be used to demonstrate their products or services through video content.
- Consider Content type
Think about the type of content you will be sharing and whether it is suitable for the platform. For example, for visual content like photos and videos, then Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube might be a better fit.
👉🏼 If PollyPro’s audience prefers visual content such as videos and infographics, YouTube and Instagram may be better platforms compared to Twitter or LinkedIn.
Additionally, understanding the audience’s content consumption habits, such as when they are most active on social media, can help PollyPro in creating and scheduling content for maximum engagement.
Stop Doing This! Secrets to a Right Social Media Strategy
Everyone on the internet has their own success mantra for social media but one size doesn’t fit all. You need to work on your secret recipe to success which should be unique and flavourful.
How? Here’s it is. But, before that check the mistakes that you need to cautious of.
Also, we’ll be taking example of the IT firm (PollyPro) to explain it in a better way.
Stop Doing This
- Ignoring the Hashtags or Using Irrelevant Hashtags
Using irrelevant hashtags may attract some engagement but it can damage the brand’s reputation and may be flagged as spam.
👉🏼 PollyPro can avoid using irrelevant hashtags like #foodie or #travel in their posts, and instead use hashtags related to their industry like #TechTrends or #DigitalTransformation.
- Over-promoting with promotional Posts
Bombarding your followers with too many promotional posts can turn them off and result in losing followers.
👉🏼 Instead, the IT firm should focus on creating value-added content that educates and engages their audience, while still promoting their products and services.
- Ignoring negative comments
Negative comments or reviews should not be ignored, as they can damage your brand reputation.
👉🏼 The SMM Team at PollyPro should acknowledge the comments, address any issues, and take appropriate steps to resolve the problems.
- Create a content calendar
Planning ahead and creating a content calendar helps ensure consistent posting and avoids last-minute scrambling.
👉🏼 The team at PollyPro should plan and schedule posts that promote their products and services, as well as industry news and events proactively.
- Ignoring What audience Likes!
To create a successful social media strategy, it is important to understand your target audience. This requires knowledge of their interests, pain points, and expectations of your brand on social media.
👉🏼 PollyPro shall identify their target audience as businesses in need of IT solutions. They can create social media content that showcases their expertise in the field and addresses the common pain points of their target audience.
Start Doing this
- Define Your Goals- Branding, lead generation or traffic?
Be clear on your goals. Whether you want to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or generate leads, your social media strategy should align with your business goals.
👉🏼 For PollyPro, the goal may be to increase brand awareness and generate leads for their services.
They can create a social media strategy that includes regular posts on their expertise in the field, showcasing their past work, and running social media ads to reach their target audience.
- Use visuals for posting
Visuals like images, infographics, and videos are more engaging than plain text.
👉🏼 PollyPro can use visuals to showcase their products and services, explain complex technical concepts, or share behind-the-scenes glimpses of their work.
- Build a community!
Engaging with your audience builds a sense of community and loyalty around your brand.
👉🏼 The IT firm can respond to comments, participate in relevant discussions, and share user-generated content to foster a sense of community and connection with their audience.
- Building trust and credibility
Engaging with your audience also helps build trust and credibility for your brand.
👉🏼 PollyPro can share case studies, customer success stories, and other content that demonstrates their expertise and the value of their products and services.
- Post Consistently and Regularly
Consistent and regular posting not only helps you stay top-of-mind, but also shows your audience that you’re active and invested in building a relationship with them.
👉🏼 For PollyPro, regular posts can include sharing industry news, upcoming events, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of their work. By maintaining a consistent posting schedule, PollyPro can build a loyal following of engaged followers.
Make a Better Move by Understanding Analytics
Analytics and insights are essential for improving your social media strategy. By tracking key metrics, using insights to optimize your content, and adapting your strategy based on insights, you can make better decisions and achieve better results.
Tracking Metrics for Success
Track key metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions. It’s critical for your success on social media.
👉🏼 For example, PollyPro can track engagement through likes, comments, and shares on their posts.
Reach can be measured by the number of people who see their posts, and conversions can be tracked by how many people take an action such as signing up for their services or visiting their website.
Using Insights to Optimize Strategy
By analyzing data such as the demographics of your audience, the performance of specific posts, and the best times to post, you can adjust your strategy to better reach your target audience.
👉🏼 For example, an IT company may notice that their posts perform better when they include technical information or industry news. They can use this insight to tailor their content and improve engagement.
Adapting Strategy Based on Insights
If a certain type of post is not performing well, you can adjust your content to better suit your audience.
👉🏼 For example, PollyPro may find that their audience responds better to video content than written articles. By shifting their focus to video content, they can improve engagement and reach.
Bottom Line
So, there you have it! Promoting your business on social media is an incredible way to grow your brand and reach new customers.
But remember, it’s not just about having a presence on every platform – it’s about understanding your audience and using the right strategies to connect with them.
By investing some effort and employing creative tactics, it is possible to elevate your social media presence and witness tangible outcomes for your enterprise.
Ready to level up your digital game? Look no further than Pollysys to beat the competition with flying colours. Happy promoting!
