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Social Media has changed the face of marketing, branding, and social landscapes forever. Everything from the way that we go about marketing others to marketing ourselves has been changed irrevocably by the introduction of Social Media into the marketplace.
While this idea is understood and agreed upon many find themselves to still be confused about the changes, what exactly has changed from the status quo, and how to best utilize these changes for the enrichment of their business or brand.
In this article we will be going over the impact of traditional marketing in the pre-social media, The impact of Social Media in marketing now, and how best to leverage these changes for your business and brand.
Before Social Media, one of the best ways to market your business and get it seen by the masses was to take out an ad in the newspaper. Quick, simple, and to the point, these ads were the best way to keep a business at the top of mind when it came to the consumer.
It also ensured that at the very least the ad would be seen by the consumer, the only downside to this however was that beyond taking the measure of the readers of the paper there was no way to effectively target messaging and ads to potential people. On top of this, the likelihood of seeing a worthwhile return on investment was low.
“Lead people with what they want. – Lead with what they’ve already said. – Lead people from where they’re at. – Lead them with the things that concern them.” – Sandi Krakowski
Then came the introduction of Television ads into the marketing atmosphere, which allowed for more effective targeting based on the demographics of people watching certain channels and at different timeslots.
Television ads quickly became one of the most effective ways to ensure that your product would be seen by the right people. Even then the personalization needed to effect a real emotional connection within the consumer was still missing and was sorely needed by businesses everywhere looking for a more effective form of customer targeting within the sphere of the media world.
Cue the introduction of Social Media, while social media has changed the world in more ways than one, one if it’s more notable applications has been within the marketing and branding sphere.
Not only does it allow for the personalization that brands have been so desperately speaking for, but it also allows for messaging targeted towards any audience of your choosing. Gone are the days when brands would struggle to gain the market research needed to make effective decisions on which timeslot to spend money on or which ad to take out in a newspaper.
Through the use of tools such as Social Listening, Facebook Ad’s and hashtags brands are now able to use social media not only as a form of a lead generation but a way to build community, create brand loyalty, and brand awareness at a rate that is infinitely cheaper than other traditional avenues of marketing and brand management.
Now that we know how Social Media has changed the landscape of Marketing for business we now discuss how you can best utilize social media to your advantage
“Social media is not just an activity; it is an investment of valuable time and resources. Surround yourself with people who not just support you and stay with you, but inform your thinking about ways to WOW your online presence” – Sean Gardner
Use Original Content To Create Demonstrate Brand Value and Values
Use original content to create and demonstrate your brand value and it’s value. Never underestimate the effectiveness of a well put together post that is timed correctly and created per the brand palette that you have set for yourself. Original content is one of the best ways to build trust and credibility for your brand. Create Messaging that is following your brand and it’s values.
For example, Apple prides itself on its ability to innovate and differentiate themselves from others their original content which takes the form of video.
Create A Community By Communicating Brand Values
One of the best ways to make use of Social Media is to use it to build a community around your brand and it’s services. People are more inclined to give their businesses more to those they feel they can trust and who have connected with visually and emotionally.
The best way to tap into the emotions of a consumer is to make use of your brand values as a way to tap into the emotions of a potential customer. Ideally, your ideal customer would hold the same values that your brand represents as such you must make this clear in your messaging overtly and inadvertently. Mastering the art of the brand voice and communication of brand values is the best way to effectively use social media
An example of this would be the Nike Run app in accordance with Nike’s themes of “Just do it” it adapts to your progress and endears users towards the nike brand
Make Use Of Hashtags To Create More Targeted and Effective Messaging
When it comes to social media, hashtags will become your best friends. This is because they allow you to select exactly who you want to get your content seen by. Because people follow or cruise their favorite hashtags they are likely to stumble across your content. If you have chosen content that is following your business and its services it makes the viewer that much more likely to become a potential lead for your business. Even if you don’t convert immediately by consistently showing up within these hashtags and communities you are much more likely to remain top of mind for your target consumer. On top of this becoming popular in specific hashtags can increase your follower count and make someone more likely to share and send your content putting you in front of more people without having to pay for promotion.
The landscapes for Media, Branding, and Marketing has changed. While these changes may seem scary they are ultimately more inclusive and allow for a higher ROI on money and effort put into getting you and your brand out there.
If you are interested in creating a strategy for your Social Media contact us today using the contact form below.
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