Social Media is instant, fast-pace and constantly evolving. It is a growing number of online communities that help expedite conversation and fuel interactivity. Social customers have always existed. Even before this current digital era, customers have been sharing their thoughts and opinions (good and bad) with their friends, family, co-workers, and even mere acquaintances. Through the rise of the Internet, a social customer’s influence is constantly growing. Due to these budding online communities, it is important for businesses of all size to ‘hang-out’ and ‘mingle’ amongst their consumers.
The recent popularity in the digital sphere has caused various marketing practices to similarly evolve. Relationship building and community development has trumped prior ‘transactional’ marketing tactics. The ‘hard-sell’ approach to advertising is becoming more and more obsolete. Social media marketing is about gaining your customers trust and, in turn, earning their respect. Once this trust is established, they will be more apt to share your posts, becoming loyal ambassadors of your brand.
Social Goals:
• Build brand visibility and increase awareness
• Drive traffic from social sites to blog/webpage
• Develop a relationship with customers
• Grow a strong online community
• Encourage customer interaction/feedback
• Target, follow and create content designed for key influencers
• Evaluate the competition
• Measure/adjust the message
