Social media for businesses is about more than winning a popularity contest. Increasing your Facebook ‘likes’ and email subscription list can increase customer awareness and engagement with your business, and more importantly, have a direct effect on your sales.
Knowing how and why your customers engage with you on social media can give you valuable insight into their needs, and can help you expand your business’ social media presence.
If you aren’t sure how to go about increasing your social media standing, here are some tips that might help.
What’s in it for me?
Providing your target market with an incentive can be one of the most effective ways to get them to sign up to a mailing list, or like your business on Facebook. Many successful businesses provide special offers for Facebook users, or offer discounts for subscribers. Is there anything you can offer your customers to convince them to sign up to your page, like your page, or subscribe to your email list? Make sure the offer or discount is clearly stated!
Allow people to engage with your brand
If your target market likes your brand, they are more likely to want to support you by signing up, or liking you on Facebook. Give them a chance to get to know you, and engage with your business, by producing original, compelling content, and clearly stating your business ethos, values and the story behind your brand.
Avoid common pitfalls that can make you lose subscribers
There are a few common reasons why people unsubscribe to Facebook feeds or email lists. Too many emails or notifications can be overwhelming and irritating to consumers. Although regular communication is important, make sure you are not going overboard and driving people away. It’s important to ensure you offer meaningful content, not just endless updates that are marketing spin.
Lack of relevance is another reason users unsubscribe. This can happen if a user has signed up for a specific promotion or offer, which has expired, leaving them feeling that your product or service is no longer relevant to their needs. Keeping your content interesting and varied, as well as offering regular promotions, can help to keep consumers engaged with your business over the long term.
Building relationships with your customers overall can help improve your online marketing efforts, and hopefully increase your sales. If users like your organisation, and feel it has relevance to their lives, they are far more likely to support you in a number of ways in addition to social media.
Great social media strategy begins with effective targeting of your potential market, and determining their needs, and it continues with excellent content, incentives and engagement with consumers. Get this right, and you have the best chance of growing your social media presence, and as a result, your business.
