We’ve been talking a lot lately about how to boost content on your firm’s website and blog, but there is another medium that deserves your attention: social platforms. According to Marketo, leveraging social media can be the best move you make for your firm. You can use it to create valuable business relationships, promote content, or scope out the market and potential buyers. It has become more than a channel or tactic of communication, but a status quo in a business’s digital presence. That means occasionally using your social media pages won’t cut it. Marketo says it has to be a part of every single one of your marketing campaigns to be effective.
“Marketing today is difficult... 44% of direct marketing is never opened. Roughly 99.9% of online banners are never clicked,” says Michael Brenner, Senior Director of Global Marketing at SAP (Marketo’s Definitive Guide to Social Marketing).
According to Marketo, 67.4% of internet users can be found on social media. That’s a huge marketing base that you may be missing out on if you’re only selling your brand through mass advertising, direct mail, tradeshows or cold calling. Since most firms now have their own Facebook and Twitter page, social media is the main driving force of B2B interactions on the web. Back in 2012, Social Media Examiner reported 93% of B2B marketers used social marketing to promote their business, and 74% of marketers received increased site traffic thanks to social marketing. What does that mean for your firm? That the idea of being “social” may actually help turn your practice into a success, but only if you truly take advantage of the social marketing tools at your disposal to increase buyer engagement, revenue and new business.
Marketo offers seven ways to become adept at integrating social marketing into your existing strategies:
- Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously: Be sure to show your personality through your posts. It will make your brand more likable.
- Inbound is not Enough: Outbound marketing is still a great resource. You never know what the effect of a little paid promotion can do for your firm.
- Create Good Content and Solid Offers: Not posting engaging or well-produced content may cause all your other tactics to fail.
- Have a Strong Call to Action: Be clear about what is it you want your audience to do after viewing your content or engaging with your firm.
- Add Value: Provide some sort of value to your prospects through your social media posts, or the tactic will never work for you.
- Remember Social is a Two-Way Street: Broadcast your message, but keep the lines of communication open at both ends. If a user contacts you, respond to them quickly, and be sure to mix up your posts with different types of content and offers.
- Be Heard: Peer-to-peer sharing is the best way to get your message across.
To read more about Marketo’s “Golden Rules of Social Marketing,” click here.
Vice President
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