The influence of social media marketing has increased tremendously in the past few years. More and more people have become easily connected to these social media sites especially through their handheld devices. A company can practically reach their leads or customers 24/7. Several case studies proved the effectiveness and impact of social media to customers.
It is very important for a business to have social media presence. Recent studies suggest that more and more people have been making purchase decisions based on the information they gather from social networking sites. People place high value on opinions provided by their peers or network. Social media marketing now plays a very crucial role in channeling people to their sales funnel.
Having a social media account for a business will increase brand recognition. Social media marketing allows a company to reach a wide range of audience and at the same time, make it more familiar to new customers. There are several instances wherein people hear about a product or a place for the first time through social media – either by paid advertisement or by the shares made by another friend. Aside from brand recognition, it also establishes the trustworthiness of the brand. People now check the social network page of a company before purchasing anything from them.
Having social media presence also allows a company to interact with their potential and loyal customers. The company will then be able to discover what the people want through comments or posts. This information can then be used by the company for effective social media marketing like posting relevant content or conducting promotions that the people want. This is also a tool for a company to have open communication line with customers. People will feel comfortable knowing that their voice can be heard and that their concerns may be addressed. This makes the company more “reachable.”
As stated earlier, posting content that people want to see will help attract more leads. This, however, does not necessarily mean that posting a picture of a cute puppy or a heartwarming quote will do. The content should be relevant to the business. This way, the content of the social media page will attract the target audience. This in turn would mean a higher percentage of customer conversion.
For example, a consulting company for entrepreneurs may post an infographic about the habits of highly successful businesses. People who value this information are most likely entrepreneurs themselves or a person who is aspiring to found a startup. They would in turn share this information to other people in their network, which is very likely to include entrepreneurs as well.
Attracting these leads is of course not even half the job. The main way through which social media marketing is fully utilized is if there are actual conversions. Studies show that conversions are best achieved through a landing page. This landing page should be able to offer information that is of extra value to the consumer. This may be a discount, a webinar, an e-book or anything else that the lead will perceive to be valuable for him/her. It is also in the landing page where the customer’s email address is collected so that the company will be able to keep in touch with the customer.
Once this is done, it is possible to send emails, discounts or any other product specific offers to these new potential customers. It is important to do this until the lead turns into a customer.
However, the marketing sales funnel does not end in the conversion. Its goal is to create loyal, returning customers. This is achievable via social media marketing through constant communication with the customers – engaging them and interacting with them. The customers should be able to feel that they can reach out to the company through social media. Reply to their queries, private messages or tweets to make them feel special and not an outcast.
Social media is a very effective tool in achieving the different stages in the sales funnel. Different companies have become more and more proactive with their customers in the recent years and the easiest and cost-effective platform is the social media. If used properly, social media will be the best ally a company can ever have in growing the business.