If you have customers, social media matters. 62% of people using social media are between the ages of 25 to 54, the largest age group is 35 to 44, and the fastest growing group is over 55. What are the age demographics of your customers?
Just because your business doesn’t have a Social Media presence, doesn’t mean you can’t be affected by it. A national pizza company learned the hard way when customers posted comments on Facebook about the poor quality of their pizzas and photographs of cold pizzas delivered with toppings askew. The company was smart enough fix the problems and promote their positive response in their next ad campaign, but with an interactive social media presence, they could have caught the comments before they got as far as they did.
The secret of success is no longer in mass appeal, but in persuading the people who will use your product or service to find you. Old fashioned marketing (TV, Radio, Billboards) can be ineffective and expensive. How many times have you seen and remembered a great TV ad, but never had a need to purchase the product? Marketing via social media allows you to get the customers that you really want to have. One of the great things about social media is that it involves building relationships. Connecting and developing relationships using social media is an extension of what we do personally. It is like a neighborhood community with 21st century technology.
To successfully build your business network on social media platforms, you must participate. Building relationships online is not that different than building relationships offline. Authentic engagement will get more people to know, like, and trust you and your business. It is all about taking care of each other. In online communication, as in personal relationships, businesses need to listen to what the customer says, and respond.
Next week: Creating a social media marketing plan for your business.