Social Media is big. Facebook alone has over 1 billion account holders and 2.3 active monthly users.
There are around 21 major social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Youtube, Messenger, WeChat, Tumblr, and more.
New clients often ask us when we come up with a content plan of action, what’s the primary difference between people using the web, and people using social media.
And essentially, the difference is intent. People that go on social media are primarily there to be entertained.
Meanwhile, with the web and search engine results, people often already have a direct intent to buy. Say they need life insurance. They won’t normally be going on Facebook to find life insurance. Google’s search engine results are so much better.
Perhaps the major difference in the approach when it comes to marketing is that with social media, you get to know of a company, gradually get to know them more, and then down the line, when you need it, buy their product.
As Unruh Network put it: “Social media marketing uses content to cultivate trust over time.”
The good news about social media is that it can be incredibly cheap. Costs per click on Facebook, for example, can be as low as 45 cents and as high as $3.77.
On the other hand, Google ads while averaging $1 to $2 per click can go as high as nearly $7 per click.
Social media ads can be one of the fastest ways possible to brand your product and get more impressions and exposure.
However, there are three big challenges to using Facebook and other social media.
The first is that social media users are primarily there to be entertained. This means you have even less time than on the web to grab their attention.
The second thing is that with social media, you have to be fully invested in it. While it’s possible to make headway posting on the web once a week or so if you want to have a good campaign on Facebook you should be posting regularly each week.
Third, Social Media is a generational thing. It moves incredibly fast and you need to be prepared to move with it.
At Whitewall Media we have seen how effective a Facebook campaign can be, but it involves making us an active partner. Every day, people on social media will be asking, “what’s new that you can offer me?”
Thick skin
Another element of social media is that a business needs to have thick skin and also respond quickly.
According to Pr Daily, 55% of customers use social media to call out and complain about your service.
Also, dozens of people will read those complaints, and if they have had a similar experience, as a businessperson, you need to be prepared to act.
According to Social Media Examiner, there are several critical steps to handling complaints on social media.
The first is not to take complaints personally. Unhappy customers are not unhappy with you, but with the situation.
Number two is to acknowledge the problem instantly. Certainly, within an hour unhappy customers should be acknowledged and advised you are researching the problem and will get back to them with a full answer ASAP.
Next, acknowledge mistakes. No business is perfect, post genuine and sincere apologies on social media.
Then try to take the conversation offline, and respond with personalized conversations.
And finally, have a company escalation policy your employees can follow.
What’s all this have to do with social media content? The answer is that we can’t do much about complaints in your business other than to suggest how to handle them, but we want you to be fully prepared for complaints in the future because they most surely will come.
Two big things we can do is to help you target your audience and advise you which social media to concentrate on.
Most of our clients are very familiar with Facebook but may have never even browsed on their smartphones for Instagram.
According to 99 Designs, Instagram is the clear winner, particularly when it comes to reaching the Under 30 set, and we agree.
Instagram, unlike Facebook, is entirely a visual program and is particularly driven by social influencers.
Instagram works so well because people want role models they can emulate to make many of their minor decisions such as which bikini to buy or which makeup to use.
The bottom line
Whitewall Media is your global marketing firm. We advise you with managing and producing a profitable web campaign or social media campaign.
There is far too much money out there to leave your campaigns to chance. You need an experienced partner to take you to greater brand awareness and click-through profitability.
We are here to serve all your business needs. —> Give us a call —> 305.250.2205
Send us an email —> nick@whitewallmedia.agency