Why does your social media marketing strategy exist? It exists to drive traffic to your website or physical location. If it isn’t doing that then you need to re-evaluate what you are doing because what you have been doing isn’t doing what it is suppose to do. Too many small businesses are failing to properly engage with their social media audiences and are losing hot leads and potential conversions in the process. Can you actually turn your social media efforts and engagement into viable leads and conversions?
- While many small businesses understand the concept of engagement, few actually do it. Very few are paying attention to comments and open dialogue and fewer still are actively engaging in conversation and leading these potential customers to their website or physical location. You must place people with great sales and people skills on your social media; people who understand how it works and understand how they are a call to action for your business.
- You must also keep track of who is talking about you and your brand and where they are talking about you. Most people are engaging with your brand because they have a problem they are hoping you can solve or them. This is why engagement is so important. This is why you need skilled people who can explain how your business is the answer to all of their problems. It is all a matter of trust and this you must be building with your social media strategy from day one.
- Get out and begin to engage with the influencers in your profession or industry. They can help you to spread the word. It is they who can talk up your brand to their followers. This will allow you to reach audiences you might not otherwise be able to reach. Most marketing research suggests that well over 80% of potential buyers are heavily influenced by those who are perceived as experts.
- Make sure your social media content links them to a landing page that will further explain how you will solve their problem. Also to be sure and offer special content that they can only get to by clicking over to your site and filling out some quick contact forms. And, finally, don’t forget the tried and true strategies of offering discounts, running continuation contests as well as running webinars and podcasts to connect, engage and drive them to your site.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer