Social media is an unexplored land for many businesses. For others, it’s like the world’s oceans: we’ve only maybe discovered and seen a small fraction of the scape.Few have conquered entire social media territories.
But social media staff and spend is increasing according to a study of small to medium sized businesses Vocus conducted. Why? Achievable brand goals for social range from awareness, to buzz to customer service and sales.
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However, it raises the question about an element that many marketers are neglecting: Should marketers be more focused on creating social media trust with their audiences online?
It’s important to start from the beginning and remember that a person exclusively “liking” or “following” your brand is a very special opt-in to your updates and content. Opting into communications on social is much more personal than you think: the amount of time we spend on social per day coupled with the intense amount of personal information shared can be a gold mine. But the opt-in doesn’t come easy.
Consumers give up the “like” to brands they are familiar with, purchase from, hope to purchase from or they just enjoy their updates. Sometimes, social networkers even “like” a brand to show their dislike in a public fashion.
So once you’ve been let in, how do you rise above the noise? Conversation, value and trust.
Remaining relevant to your audience is highly dependent on learning who they are, what they like, and what their wants and needs are. From there, staying top of mind through trending content, real engagement and delivering customer imperatives can retain your brands following.
Going at it alone doesn’t have to be your only option either. For brands looking to increase their online equity, partnering with brands whose services compliment their own is a viable option for finding new prospects to engage with while learning more about the industry.
I’m sure you’re wondering, “why all the fuss on creating trust?” Well, without it, brands will fail on social media, and one of the most popular marketing tactics will die along with it.
Forceful “push” marketing and messaging through social media just doesn’t work. Social media was built on the principles of networking and organic conversations – they’re discovery tools. Discovering new people to engage with, learning about a new product through word of mouth, or finding the day’s news in a click. Intruding with too many non-targeted ads is a recipe for disaster. Don’t believe us?
Only 15% of people trust social media marketing and internet ads, according to a Forrester Research survey. “Simply put, consumers are more trusting of content they can find on their own terms, rather than that which is pushed out to them by brands.”
Looks like there’s much more to it than just promoted posts.
Need social media marketing advice? Check out our Search and Social channel here.
