Social media is big business, and it’s here to stay. Used effectively, it can have a huge impact on a company’s sales figures, reputation and brand recognition.
Many businesses are either too busy running their business or don’t have the industry knowledge or expertise required to understand the different social media platforms and the need for specific and targeted marketing. Sharing the exact same message or image across all platforms is not effective and can minimise results.
Knowing your audience is key to any marketing strategy, and so understanding what social media platforms your audience have access to and how they use them will help you target your customers and get your message across in the right way for your business.
Companies such as a social media agency in Cardiff like https://intranetfuture.com/ can help businesses navigate their way through the social media maze. An article published in The Grocer this month discusses the potential financial rewards and the impact of Instagram influencers, as well as the mistakes some businesses are making.
Videos
Most social media platforms will let you upload short videos or films, but evidence has shown that up to 85% of consumers watch these films with the sound off and don’t turn it on when viewing. No matter how appealing your post is, you need to adapt to your audience and not expect them to change their habits. So if your product suits this kind of advertising, then including subtitles that are clear and easy to read at a glance is essential.
Strategy
Whatever your business, you want to stay relevant and up to date. Social media is like rolling news and is viewed regularly and constantly being updated. Businesses need to ensure their social media messages are relevant, newsworthy and changed regularly. This will position their brand as reliable, modern and ‘on trend’.
Platforms
It is not necessary to use every single platform available, so do your research. If you are targeting business professionals, for example, you might want to look at platforms such as LinkedIn, but if you are promoting a free coffee giveaway, using Twitter will be more effective, as this is a fast-moving instant platform which can mushroom quickly and provide immediate results, especially when using a popular hashtag to keep your post ‘trending’.
