More and more, consumers are turning to the Internet to connect with companies, research products & services, and make spending decisions. The popularity of various websites and social media sources has people spending significant amounts of time online which translates into a big opportunity for businesses that harness the power of online marketing.
To truly understand its significance you must first explore why online presence matters and the impact it has on small businesses. The next piece of the puzzle is recognizing the importance of social media and how it can affect business promotion. Finally, take a look at customer engagement and what it means for marketing.
Through a combination of online marketing, effective use of social networking, and a focus on customer engagement you can position your business for success.
Online Presence Matters
With smartphones putting the internet at your fingertips and social media sites with dedicated pages for everything from products and services to fictional characters, customers have come to expect an online presence from the organizations they do business with. Your company website completes your professional image and lends credibility to your company.
It provides consumers with everything they need to know about selecting your product or service and can aid you in targeting a wider range of customers than you could connect with locally. Developing an online presence for your organization goes beyond websites and can include blogs, social media, email, and pay-per-click advertising options like Google AdWords.
This multi-faceted approach to marketing provides even small businesses with the ability to reach customers and make sales while still being more cost-effective than most traditional marketing methods.
The Benefits of Social Media
According to Wikipedia, Facebook had over 1.65 billion active monthly users and Twitter, another social site, had over 300 million active users as of March 2016. These numbers present a huge selection of potential customers. Users of social media sites are a diverse group representing various ages, social standings, and preferences which means that your target market is most definitely online.
The more casual atmosphere on these sites lets you connect with customers even when they aren’t specifically looking for you. Another benefit of social networking is that creating a profile is a free service and with minimal effort you can create engaging content that lets you reach customers.
These sites are easy to link with your other online marketing including your web page, other social media, and your blog. Customer feedback through the site lets you stay on top of what your customers want and provides you a perfect forum to solicit feedback.
Engaging with Customers
Entrepreneur and small business advocate Nellie Akalp told Huffington Post that her best tip for success was to focus on being significant and that success would follow naturally. Engaging your customers is essential to creating significance for your brand. Social networking and other online marketing options allow you to develop this engagement which translates into success for your organization. Here are some tips for engaging with your customers online:
- Follow the trends
- Plan your message and stay true to it
- Post frequently, but not too frequently
- Make connections – find friends and follow people
- Use unique content
Christopher Steven is an avid blogger from Tulsa, Oklahoma who is passionate about encouraging healthy family values for all communities while working with the Gorospe & Smith Tulsa Divorce Law Firm in his own community.