Four Social Media Secrets | Blog.Link2city.com
Four Worthwhile Ways to Successfully Leverage Social Media
According to a recent study on social media and dating behavior, more than one in six marriages over the past three years were the result of relationships begun online.
In 2010, the rising popularity of social networks like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter simply cannot be ignored. When people are turning to the Internet to find their soul mates, you can rest assured they are looking online for everything else – from their next pair of Oakley’s to their new optometrist – and if you are a business seeking customers, you are well-advised to look online, too.
All in all, social media is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. But don’t just take my word for it.
Nielsen recently published a study stating that 79% of Fortune 100 companies are leveraging social media to engage their audience, and they are doing it in innovative ways to build buzz, establish relationships, foster communication, improve products, and cultivate long-term brand awareness and consumer trust.
Whether you’re a seasoned producer of award-winning viral campaigns or just figuring out how to create a Facebook profile, it doesn’t matter. The beauty of social media is that you don’t need experience; you only need to learn the rules. Social media is not so much a new idea as it is a new way to communicate ideas, and the nature of a good idea hasn’t changed. The same marketing principles from 50 years ago apply today; they are simply communicated in a different way.
How to approach a social media campaign
Social media is ultimately about relationships. It should be viewed as a two-way street. As a brand, you aren’t there to promote a product, you are there to communicate and relate. If you approach social media with sales as your end goal, your audience will notice and, most likely, you will be ignored.
On the other hand, if you offer your audience something of value, and your message is genuine, aka you aren’t faking it, consumers are inclined to listen. Offer users engaging content, helpful information, streamlined customer service, or incentives like discounts and free gifts consistently, and you have the makings of a healthy long-term relationship with a brand ambassador willing to sing your praises to the world.
From that point on, as long as you pull your weight by keeping your message consistent, authentic and meaningful, consumers tend to stay loyal and express that in revenue generated over time and positive word-of-mouth expressed among their peers. That’s the real return on social media.
Four social media promotions and the companies who made them work
Eleven different designs are featured on the canvas tote bags, with more than 125000 made and set to be handed out to those attending the convention. and more »
