Author: Ines Marinho
Social marketing is a powerful force among the marketing world. Nowadays, social media plays an important goal to any business, no matter its size. For example, during the last NFL draft, the franchise promoted autographed hats from the new rookies and instigated the fans to predict the NFL futures odds. They also have the NFL Social Lab, that helps to keep the brand modern and updated.
Why NFL cares so much about its social media image? Well, it’s because it helps to build your brand, effectivity and credibility. In an ecosystem where internet is the front page of a solid strategy, here are a few social media platforms every business should consider having.
LinkedIn is a professional platform and, by far, “a must have”. This social marketing tool has become a standard for presenting and promoting your company in a formal way. It presents people’s careers, goals, future horizons and guidelines. A professional head shot, a developed profile and consistent/serious posting activity are what makes the difference and stands out from the competition.
This platform is still the one that gives you “the moment” of all moments. It is effective, based on real time and a source/tool for getting and receiving information, alerts, announcements, events and connecting people’s subjects by using hashtags. Topics and communities are two of the particular features of this social page. Twitter is the viral platform of choice.
Email Marketing
An email marketing program is one of the most effective ways to directly and personally communicate and build the trust with people. There are several free and low-cost options in the market to set up this strategy to your company. iContact, Vertical Response, Constant Content or Google are options to be considered.
Blogging
Building authority, credibility and stature as an influencer goes through the art of blogging. This is the top art tactics that can really stand you out, get noticed and remembered. With content marketing’s purpose to educate, inform and inspire, blogging is your channel towards people. You can start a blog, a website or join some blog communities. WordPress, Drupal or Wix are free websites that allow you to create professional content as a blogger.
People feel with the eyes. There is nothing more powerful than the visuals: images and video. Active and fast, Instagram is a preferred app to share this kind of multimedia content. You can use small stories, highlighted text with a picture and link website with a simple “swipe up” feature. A picture is worthy of thousand images. However, you should be careful with the pictures you post since you want to achieve professional recognition and brand image. Not everything is worth sharing.
Podcasting
Podcasting is still on the rise and it is a popular format of interviews, features, profiles and education content. Adopted by sports, music, business, politics, hospitality and several small niche industries, podcasting is easy to use and to create. iTunes, Spreaker and Blogtalk Radio are some examples of websites that can help you achieving your podcast goals. Listening to the first person is more personal than reading, so take advantage of that.
Video
Once again, eye catching marketing is essential. Multimedia emotions are the base of any social media platform and watching and listening are the kings of the online world. YouTube popularity speaks for itself. Multiple people started to produce their own content on this platform, creating new ways of sharing and profiting. If this example is not enough for you to be convinced, let’s face the stats:
- 100 million of Internet users watch a video on daily basis
- 45.4 percent of the Internet users watched, at least, one video per month
- The value of one minute of video is the same as 1.8 million of words, according to Forrester Research
- According to the Online Publishers Association, 80 percent of Internet users recall watching a video ad on a website they visited in the past month
If you are the owner of a small or bigger business, there is a lot of compelling evidence suggesting that online video marketing should be a strategy of yours.
Networking
The last but not the list. The trend is shifting back to networking in person, either at events or groups. Nothing speeds up a relationship or a connection more than meeting people. Having your time to get to know someone, allows you to personalize and maximize the treatment given to a person. Social media is undeniably an effective bridge to people. However, the goal should always be reaching the people you want to by a phone call or personal meet-ups. Finding the right balance of online and in-person networking is the key to success. Getting more social, visible and engaged with your community secures the benefits of being ‘top of mind’.
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