Believe it or not, some businesses aren’t yet convinced about the power of social media (yes, even in 2019). They are so drawn by traditional marketing methods that newer ones seem to be a myth to them. What they do not realize is that more than two billion people are on these different platforms. This figure alone is proof that social media plays a crucial part in building a brand’s marketing strategy.
Although you might be on social media, knowing exactly where to begin and how is much easier said than done. Keep in mind that there are tons of little-known strategies designed to give you an edge over your competitors, but your job as a business owner (or marketer) is to do your research and find what suits your business best. So, if you are looking to give your product or service a boost, here are a few ideas on how to leverage social media for that purpose.
#1. Use Videos
When talking about mainstream marketing platforms, Facebook and Twitter are without a doubt the leaders. However, the use of videos appears to be a bit underrated. What most business owners forget is that video is a great way to personalize their business and deliver the essence of it originally and uniquely, besides the fact that it can significantly help them reach potential customers and engage in dynamic conversations.
For instance, you can create a video that discusses different platforms for advertising on social media. You can use the medium to initiate a conversation among your followers and engage on them on a personal level. You do not necessarily have to create videos frequently, but make sure there is consistency in terms of content and quality.
#2. Try To Ask Questions
Social media, by essence, is all about initiating conversations between people. From a business perspective, it means having a two-way exchange between you, as a business owner or entrepreneur, and your customers. The problem most businesses have when using social media is that they just tell people what their business is, and try to make sales. In reality, you can use these platforms to learn much more about your potential customers or existing clients, like what interests them, what are their needs, and more.
Let’s say you are engaged in a conversation with your customers, whether through a video or a simple post. You might learn new strategies or find new ideas on how to advertise products or services online (for example like on marketplaces such as Click2sell, Clickbank and others). The point is, you can take advantage of this and use it to engage with your customers in the future.
#3. Consider Outsourcing
In case you did not know, crowdsourcing refers to the idea of outsourcing a project or task. It could be designing a logo, creating a commercial ad of some kind, naming a product, etc. The good thing is, you can use social media to jumpstart crowdsourcing activities quite quickly. In fact, the most successful companies and brands in the world are fond of using these platforms to stir up excitement, engage participants, and spread the word about an upcoming project.
For starters, this strategy is very low cost. More importantly, it helps engage your customers (and even stakeholders) and give them the chance to take part in your business. You can start by hosting a contest, for example, to design your new product’s logo. Simply invite your customers to submit or post their ideas, and whoever wins it will receive a splashy prize. All of these will help you create a social media hype, which, in turn, enables your business to be marketed and branded efficiently.
