Social media has been a game-changer in the field of marketing and has permanently changed the way businesses advertise and consumers discuss products. The emergence of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms has allowed smaller players to have a voice even if they do not have huge advertising budgets or marketing departments, but the downside is that it is easy to get one’s message lost amid all of the noise. The competition for attention, whether it is to get people to look at your puppy video or news about the release of a new product, can be fierce, and going viral is a challenge.
One advantage to using social media to promoting products is that it gives a personal appeal, and is easier to establish a relationship with existing and potential customers. Many companies and brands have Facebook pages and produce posts that aim to start a conversation about products. While driving people to a website through search engine optimization was the name of the game a decade ago, encouraging people on social media to like pages, comment and share content is the goal. The focus is on creating content that is shareable and will inspire people to want to show it to other people.
To create a social media marketing strategy, it is essential to think about why people decide to share articles, videos and other posts. Since most people use social media nowadays, it is worthwhile considering what makes you want to share something. Perhaps you tried a fantastic recipe, have taken a picture of the results and want to share the video and the recipe on social media. Perhaps you read a news story about the advantage of eating a certain kind of diet or the dangers of having using certain chemicals for household cleaning. What makes content shareable is if it affects people personally and is something that is of interest to a wide audience.
Written Content on Social Media
While content producers are still writing with an aim to reach the top of the search engines with the help of keywords, this is not the kind of singular obsession it was a decade ago. It is important that content piques a reader’s interest and provides information or an insight that is unique. This has been a victory for those who favor quality written content, rather than the keyword stuffed web articles filled with irrelevant links to drive SEO. Google now penalizes a website for putting up content with misleading links or excessive amounts of keywords. Quality is making a comeback along with uniqueness in written content.
Video Is Vital
The relatively low cost of producing video and the fact that it arrests the attention and engages the viewer immediately are factors that have made video a major priority in social media marketing strategies. Companies like Hampton Creek have several kinds of videos that are shareable, including product reviews from social media influencers, videos expressing its brand philosophy and recipe demonstrations. Videos that are shared often on social media are quite short, usually under three minutes long.
Social Media Posts
Large and small companies have pages and accounts on social media and use the platform as a way to generate interest among existing and potential customers. Grabbing “likes” and shares on Facebook is an important goal in marketing, and some companies provide incentives for likes and shares, such as a drawing for a prize or a contest. News articles about the product are posted on a company’s Facebook page, or representatives of the business create Tweets about new products, commercials, and upcoming releases. Social media allows customers to discuss the product, ask questions and provide feedback. Getting people who have liked the page to share it is one essential way of creating more buzz around your brand.
Business Becomes More Sociable
It isn’t about just selling products anymore, but the key to marketing is to create relationships and to start a conversation about your product or brand. Linking your items with something trending on social media or in the press is a good way to get people talking about your product. The tone used on social media should be upbeat, positive and fresh without sparking excessive controversy or inviting negative comments. Once a post about your company has gone viral, people are likely to remember it and want to know more about your products. This is where your page or account can provide informational material and calls to action to generate sales.
Guest post by hamptoncreek
