Social Media Marketing Tips

Social media is word-of-mouth marketing for the 21st Century. If you market directly to customers, there’s no better way to reach and engage with your audience.

​Is your social media effective and delivering the results you want?

There are a few businesses around Christchurch who’ve created a Facebook page because someone told them it was the right thing to do, but they’re not sure how to use it effectively. Often they post a few times, forget to do anything for a couple of months, and then get frustrated that Facebook isn't generating more leads or sales.

​To help you maximise your business’ social media potential, here are 5 digital marketing ideas from Inform PR. 

​Target Your Audience

Who is your ideal customer? If you don’t know who they are, how can you reach them? Facebook company pages offer lots of statistics about the people who like your business. You can break down your audience by age, gender, location and interests.

If you're posting content and talking about topics that interest males aged 30 - 45, but your ideal customer and core audience is female and between 25 - 35 years of age, don't be surprised if you don't get the leads and engagement you would like.
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There is no right answer for how often you should post or how often, but who you’re targeting will guide you.

​Be Original

Your social media page must offer something people can’t get elsewhere. Why should someone like your business page if you’re just re-posting other people’s content? It’s not a great way of getting your message across and connecting with your audience.

Share your unique business story. Post related industry news with your own twist added on. Writing a blog, gathering client testimonials, or sharing exclusive deals and competitions can also be really popular.

​Regularity

When you’re running a Christchurch business, you probably don't have time to post and respond to social media each day. If weeks or months go by between your posts, that tells people you’re not active and it doesn’t encourage them to like your page.

​Social media shouldn’t be tacked on top of your business’ marketing campaign, it should be an integrated part of it. Have a strategy and schedule content to go out across the course of a week or month.

How often you post depends on your audience, but it’s essential to have a plan so you’re not figuring out what to do each day. 

​Boosted Posts

TV, radio and newspaper companies can give you an idea of demographics and how many people you can reach. Social media turns targeted advertising into a science. You can choose exactly who you want to see your posts, refining by gender, age, location and interests.

​ It’s also a lot cheaper than traditional forms of advertising, making it very effective for communicating your message. Sometimes good social media content needs a little nudge to get started and go viral, especially if you don't have a large audience to begin with.

Audience Engagement

Where traditional advertising is like businesses yelling through a megaphone, social media is a two-way street. Your followers will want to engage with you, review your products or services, and share their experiences.

People need to feel like they’ve been heard, so respond to their comments, thank them for their feedback and let them know you value them as a customer. Social media is the new word-of-mouth marketing, and if you’re not part of the conversation you’d better believe people are having it without you.

How is social media working for your Christchurch business? Is it something you try and find time for at the end of the month, or is it actively driving brand awareness? If you’d like to know how social media could work better for your Christchurch business. Contact Inform PR today.