You are probably familiar with social networking and may be using it for your own personal use, but how many of you have considered the benefits it can bring to a business? Many organizations are now turning to social networks as a valuable communication tool and if used effectively they can greatly enhance your online presence.
To achieve success with your online marketing you need to have a presence in the environment that your clients inhabit; with two thirds of the world’s internet population visiting a social network or blogging website, and the sector now accounting for over 10% of all Internet time, websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are channels that you can really tap into.
Social networking can be an excellent way to acquire new customers and retain existing ones. The real value is the way you can engage with your audience on a personal level. Instead of simply ‘sell sell sell’, social networking is about the kind of two-way communication which helps to build a long term relationship. Of course, this form of interaction may not be suitable for all brands, but many organizations will benefit from making their brand more personable.
Many people consider social networking websites as a tool used only by teenagers. In fact, most people consider all social networking websites as different websites offering the same service! This is a common misconception and the truth is that most differ in the services that they provide so choose the appropriate social networks based on your organization’s client base and marketing strategy. For instance, YouTube is a video sharing website which provides users with the ability to upload and share video clips, whereas Facebook incorporates a range of features (such as email, instant messaging, image and video sharing etc.) into a single user interface.
Social networking websites can build online communities around your organization, where clients and prospective customers can interact with like minded individuals. These communities provide an insight, as well as useful feedback, that can help you improve your products and/or services to better suit the needs of the people who matter that is; your target audience. Maintaining your profile on these social networking websites is a worthwhile exercise as you will be able to see first hand how the marketing strategy and tone of voice you use to communicate with your client base is received. Such valuable feedback can assist in improving your marketing campaigns, and the overall brand values your company projects.
I’ve created profiles, pages and accounts for clients across a number of social networks including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. These profiles have provided clients with the opportunity to share content with the online communities that have grown around them. Visitors to those client’s websites can view their latest Twitter status updates without having to visit the social networking websites themselves as they are displayed dynamically on the clients’ websites!
Social networking is opening up exciting new ways of communicating with audiences. There is no doubt we will see further development in this area in the near future, and you may be surprised to see just how much of a benefit social networking can be to your organization.
