What Social Media Means Today
If you are launching a product, a service, a website, or a company you need to look at Social Media. To a lot of people and businesses, especially small businesses and start ups Social Media can seem overwhelming. Most small business owners are not sure where to start, and think that its just about putting up a facebook page and it will take care of itself.
Social Media doesnt work that way. Putting up a facebook page and not keeping it current or having a Twitter account with no tweets puts out an online image that can have a negative impact on your potential customers. Lets face it, what is the first thing we do when we need a product or a service? we Google it! The next thing we do is sort through all the nonsense that the search brings up. But for those companies that have managed to get the right SEO or have figured out the best way to use their online presence to move up in ranking through the sea of analytics are the ones that get the prize, “A NEW CUSTOMER”.
Here is what you dont want your lack of maintaining your online presence to say:
1. Your company doesnt care enough to maintain its page.
2. Customers think your company is no longer in business because there is no post since 2011.
3. Your company has nothing new or interesting to say.
Of course you have something new to talk about or post, but you have been so busy creating and managing the start up of your business that you havent had the time to keep things current on all of your social media pages, but you have sent out a mass email to all of your current clients. So you feel that covers your social media, umm no. Most mass emails are either deleted without opening them or they have gone straight to someones spam box never to encountered again. You can not let your opportunity to connect with your clients be strictly through email. Social Media, Website and email is the multi facetted way of connecting to your customers. Clients will look at social media from time to time. And because of the way Facebook is structured your page will pop up to your customers even if they arent looking for you, just by posting something new.
Social media can be that less in your face way of marketing to your customers. It is more like a subtle reminder of “hey we are here if you need us, and oh by the way have you seen this really cool thing we just started doing.” Its through your social media that customers are gently reminded that you are there for them.
So where should you start with launching your social media makeover? To me that depends on your audience. Not all social media is used by all ages. If your targeting Gen Y, you may want to put your money in an app. The average generation Y person is spending 2 hours or more using 6 plus apps on their devices. They also make up 30% of the adults on the internet, according to Pew Research Center. This is clearly sending a message on how to reach this demographic. For the small business owner knowing who your demographic is, is key to targeting your audience through social media. Facebook may not want to hear this but their demographic is more of the Gen X’er. Pew’s Generations report that 86% of Gen X are online on almost a daily basis but use it more for researching things such as the best place to lunch or vacationing. These are just a few of Gen X’s uses for internet. Gen X is also doing most of it’s banking on line. More then any other group. Its this type of understanding and research that new business owners dont have the time to do, but is needed inorder to be successful using social media as a marketing tool.
Pace Setting Media will always be there to assist with the process and handle the care of your social network.
#socialmedia, #smallbusiness,#smallbusinessmarketing,#marketing,#understandingdemographics
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