Index Of The Blog
More and more companies are discovering Social Media Marketing Strategies as a measure for themselves. Why this can only ensure lasting success with a clear strategy is outlined below.
How can we understand social media?
Most people connect Facebook with social media. But social media, to German social media, is a term for far more. Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, as well as the business networks Xing and LinkedIn are counted as social media. These networks are the best known and most important for the German-speaking world.
When Facebook saw the light of day, a new kind of communication has emerged. We got the opportunity to “connect” with our friends worldwide via this network. Uploaded a photo via Facebook, briefly wrote something about it, and already knew the whole community of friends on Facebook where we are on vacation. Friendship at the click of a mouse – many first got to know each other via Facebook – because it’s faster and easier. This resulted in an information and communication flow of enormous reach.
But not only “being in touch and staying in touch” has taken on new dimensions. New earning opportunities have developed in the field of social media. Because, of course, people have become more resourceful over time. It recognized the benefits of social media networks and uses them more and more purposefully for themselves.
Whether via YouTube or Instagram; Many have seized the opportunity for themselves and started their own business with social media and have become part of the brand. There are some remarkable achievements of influencers to recognize. Influencers have a strong presence and reputation in social media and are often hired to commercialize businesses.
Social media in progress: more opportunities for companies
There are many ways for companies to market themselves on social media. In addition to the above-mentioned influencers, the opportunity for social media is to get in direct contact with (potential) customers. Nowadays, companies are looking for employees on Facebook and promoting themselves at the same time – employer branding is called this measure. For example, social media networks such as Xing and LinkedIn have been created explicitly for the business sector.
Employer branding is a term for a strategic measure of a company that presents itself as an attractive employer and thus wants to attract qualified workers.
So, already at this point, it becomes clear how extensive the use of social media can be. It, therefore, needs a strategy to handle social media properly. It’s not a success to just start blogging or be on a social media network with your company. To navigate your online presence in the right direction requires a strategy. That is the basic requirement for successful social media marketing strategies. In developing this measure, all the parameters that are important to the company are considered. Because not every platform is the right communication channel for your own company.
What is a social media strategy based on?
A social media strategy should be able to secure a certain added value for the company. Before you commit one, you have to set a goal that you want to achieve with social media. One should be able to evaluate later on whether the desired success could be achieved by the strategy. In order to measure the success correctly, it makes sense to agree on a feasible date for the implementation of the strategy. Only in this way can the measurement of success be guaranteed.
In addition, the company must be as objective as possible to look at its current state, take a close look at itself, even if this is not easy. Knowing for yourself how things are for me and where I want to go with my company in social media is sometimes the most important thing for a clear strategy. To identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and to react accordingly.
Sometimes a company only has to fish up an already existing communication channel. New content and targeted actions can bring the communication between the customer and the company back to work. In other cases there is a need to record new channels as well. Example: If the hair salon company’s corporate page on Facebook is mediocre and can not be found on Instagram. Instagram is the ideal place to present your craft. To find out something like that, you develop a social media strategy.
What goals can be achieved with social media marketing strategies:
A strategy needs a clear goal. Often “reach” or “presence” are called goals. But goals are set and formulated differently in social media. As a goal of the social media strategy one can e.g. Increase awareness of the company, or product. Or to improve the image, strengthen branding or increase sales.
In addition, new horizons are opening up. Not only the existing clientele, but also new target groups can be addressed via social media. Imagine that you have had a shop for years. Now you have a new orientation and offer other products than before.
For the company you have already written down certain numbers that have to be reached. What is the goal of using social media? How can it help you achieve your business goals? Only if you know who your target group is that you refer to with your products, then you also know which social media network you can use for your goals.
Which network is best for my company?
As already mentioned, not every channel is the right one for your own company. Each channel has its own “rules of the game” and formats. For comparison: Imagine you want to present a children’s book titled “The most beautiful bedtime stories”. For the lecture, you are looking for neither a crafts shop, nor an office building, but a bookstore or a well-attended by children location. That’s how it works with social media channels.
Some channels are more likely to communicate via video and imagery, because those channels are designed for that purpose. Above all, Youtube and Instagram. Instagram and Pinterest also have a sales function that may be interesting for some companies. In most cases, however, the use of multiple channels in addition to different goals makes sense anyway.
So a hairdresser can market his craft super on Instagram pictures and further strengthen his communication with customers via Facebook. Again, for a company that specializes in the production of agricultural machinery, in addition to Facebook, the professional networks Xing and LinkedIn for B2B customers are interesting. This differentiation arises with regard to the users that you want to address.
Risk management for social media
One reason why many companies shy away from social media is the fear of negative feedback, which becomes obsolete on the internet. So many companies do not want to risk their serious and good image. Many fear that their image can not be managed well online and in some cases simply avoid what they do not know. And of course, there is a certain risk. Staying away from social networks, however, does not protect your business from being mentioned in social media. On the contrary – you can not even take a stand.
In order to minimize this “risk”, or to turn it into something positive for your company, a risk management strategy is needed. The following anxiety scenario: a remark from you has made the users’ minds glow in the net. The whole thing was even further divided and you have the annoyance of a mass of people on the neck. The reputation and image of the company may be affected. If such posts have first assumed a viral character, they can no longer be stopped.
But it does not have to be that way. For this reason, it makes sense to set some rules before building an image in the social networks. These rules relate to the form and content of the utterances that you make online. Depending on how big the company is, a more comprehensive risk management strategy makes sense. This means that you can create adequate solutions and reaction plans in advance for specific situations and scenarios. This spares unwanted surprises in social media.
Social media care – by myself, my coworkers, or at least by an agency?
For most companies, the cost factor is an important issue. But when it comes to social media marketing, many ignore the time factor. Often the own staff for the care of Facebook and Co. is engaged. Mostly in such cases, the social media care is then only incidentally. Reason: Lack of time, because the actual work has to be done and often takes precedence. There is also a lack of consistency, strategy and goal control.
For this reason, the way to an agency can be useful. Agencies can strategically plan for a long-term view, and ultimately it will pay off for your business. If you have very committed and reliable employees who want to take on the social media work, then together discuss the goals that you want to achieve. Try to get a realistic picture of the current social media state of the company. So away with the pink glasses. You can also look at competitors, because you can also learn from them. Very soon, you will be able to recognize the added value that social media marketing offers you for your company.
Conclusion
A clear and strategic marketing brings a big added value. Companies have gained another opportunity through social media to present themselves online. A strategic and thoughtful marketing measure is the answer to the question of success in social media.
