It’s natural to want instant gratification in today’s society. When you want something now – you don’t want to wait in line. You don’t even want to wait for a page to load. That’s why you now only have about 8 seconds to make a digital impression on a future client.
When inconvenienced by a wait, the odds increase that the customer will just move on to the next website and skip their purchase with you altogether. Most are also willing to pay more for a product or service if they can get it right here and now.
Business owners and marketers aren’t much different. They want results instantly, not over a period of months, weeks, or even days. However, the truth is that social media doesn’t provide a quick route to results despite being quick to post and consume. Getting results from a social media campaign requires time, patience, and maintenance. However, it can be an incredibly powerful tool when used correctly, and it can help to build trust between you and current or potential customers and clients.
Like in any relationship, trust takes time and effort. You can’t just start a blog, launch a Facebook page, and post beautiful pictures on your Instagram page to achieve this trust. You will need to build a two-way relationship through media which involves engagement, communication, and creating a sense of compassion for your client base.
You can try taking the freeway to reach the destination faster and end up sitting in traffic with your competitors—or you can take the scenic route and get to know your audience along the way, one-upping your competition through genuinely caring for your client base.
Especially in the service industry, it’s essential to take your time and not rush to the finish line. If you take the time to get out and experience the sites along the way, your journey will be much more interesting and rewarding than a “quicker” ride on a backed-up freeway.
More than 40% of digital consumers use social networks to research new brands or products. Consumers want to see your social media presence and be able to engage with you through your social media platforms in a timely manner.
But it’s also important to accept that you don’t know everything and ask for help when needed. Find a mentor, consultant or agency who can help you and be sure to keep up with new research, trends, and changes in social media.
Social Spice Media has the following tips to offer about taking the scenic route with your social media marketing:
Know and Grow Your Audience
Growing an audience won’t happen overnight. You have to appeal to your target audience by researching their interests, needs, and priorities. Ask yourself what you would need to see to buy a service or product, but also be aware of the differences between you and your target audience.
Growing and keeping a following takes patience, time, and determination. It all comes back to your content strategy. You must put out good content to create and maintain your loyal following. But quality content for one audience may not be quality content for another. Quality content is defined by how closely it meets your audiences’ wants and needs. When you engage and interest your audience, you create a following that stays loyal to your brand. Just like building a relationship with a new friend takes time, so does building customer relationships.
For example, if you own a medical spa, potential clients will want to see examples of your work and reviews from happy clients. A potential client wants to trust you and know others do before letting you close to their body… with unknown products and maybe even needles!
They may not be well versed in the services you offer at your spa, so informational posts can give them the content they need to generate interest. They may even be so interested that they want to learn about an additional treatment they hadn’t even known they wanted!
Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and start focusing on the needs of your customers and your online community—if you’re providing useful content to your audience, you will see a difference in your business.
Build and Launch
Stop listening to every influencer and podcaster that says you that you MUST be on all of the latest social network sites. Do your own research and make decisions based on what social networks, strategies and tactics will help you achieve your goals, and enable you to best serve your audience.
Choose platforms that your target audience is likely to be active on. For example, if you own an interior design company, Pinterest would benefit you tremendously, while it may not be as useful if you own a law practice.
Popular social media platforms used by businesses include:
- YouTube
- Tumblr
- Tik Tok
- Snapchat
But you shouldn’t necessarily create a profile on each one of these networks—in fact, if you don’t have the intention or capacity to maintain them, this could be harmful to your brand. Choose networks that make sense and only choose as many as you think you can reasonably maintain.
Once you determine who your ideal client is, it will be easy to choose which platforms would appeal to them the most. For example, if you want to target the younger generation Tik Tok may be a great choice, while an older generation would typically stick to watching videos on Facebook.
Realize that success is not going to be delivered by Amazon to your doorstep. You will need to work hard for every like, view, Pin and share.
Establishing a profitable, effective social media presence for your business takes time, and yes, it also takes effort. It won’t solve all of your problems within the space of a couple of tweets, but done right, social platforms can be a key connective medium between you and your target audience and solidify your broader marketing process.
Get in touch with Social Spice Media to learn more about creating a marketing plan for your business and how you can effectively spend your marketing dollars. Our team pays attention to your goals and creates a custom strategy that delivers results. Do you know someone who could benefit from our services? Refer them to us today! Our team is eager to connect with businesses in any industry. We serve the local needs of Ventura County and Santa Barbara as well as anywhere in the United States.
