It’s a fact that the growth of social media is impacting the way organizations communicate. It’s a positive way to reach potential business customers. If this is true, why are so many companies creating Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages and using them ineffectively?
Some of these companies are using these profiles as just another advertising channel to push their product or service in the consumer’s face. The public knows this, and ignores it.
No one logs into Facebook so they can be sold something. They search the site to get caught up with friends, find the latest trend, or follow their favorite actor or musician.
Thanks to the DVR, viewers can skip commercials and get back to their show. They don’t watch TV in anticipation of the latest advertisement – unless it’s the Super Bowl we’re talking about.
Just like television, the consumer is turned off by companies using social media sites to push selling campaigns.
Companies need to talk with their customers - not try to sell them.
When a company starts a social media site, their main objective can’t be focused on sales and selling their product, or service. It has to be defining the target audience and finding out their likes and dislikes. They need to relate to them and create a sense of security.
It’s obvious that going social is the way for business. Forrester Research’s survey data show that 85% of business decision-makers use social media for business purposes and, when it comes to posting or uploading content, writing reviews, commenting on discussions and reading Online forums, they do it more for business than for personal reason. Companies want the consumer to trust them, and when they are finally in the buying mood to think of their product, or service instead of the competitor. This trust isn’t created through self-promotional Tweets and status updates.
To attract the consumer, companies need to engage the target audience by using anecdotes, sharing ideas, creating a question and answer forum and establishing the company as a trusted leader in the business.
If the message is honest, cutting edge, creative, strategic, motivational, etc., people will find out and become attracted to the company. Companies’ social media marketing efforts need to create content that not only attracts attention, but encourages the reader to share it with their social networks. Brand awareness is created and in most cases, so is customer service.
With the advancement of social media marketing, companies need to think outside the box from the boring promotional message and be creative when reaching their audience. In the end, if the reader doesn’t “like” you, or “follow” you, chances are the company’s message will be lost in the Cyber world.
