Social media is everywhere – it’s become pretty much impossible to avoid it now. With its ubiquitous nature, it was only a matter of time before businesses started to adopt the various social platforms for marketing purposes, but only recently has the true value of social media as a tool for business owners become known. Are you making the most of what’s on offer?
1) Researching Prospective Hires
To employers, social media presents the opportunity to delve further into a potential employee’s backstory than ever before. For anyone using LinkedIn, it’s pretty clear that the platform acts as an in-depth online CV that’s very much alive and growing constantly – rather than relying heavily on paper or email CVs, employers can now read up on what applicants know and see the endorsements and recommendations they’ve received throughout their career.
Over on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, there’s the opportunity to find out whether or not future employees will fit in with the values and culture of the business. Although this is a controversial area – with some claiming that it’s unfair for employers to judge based on previous social media antics – it’s essential to hire someone who will fit in with the status quo and who won’t end up at odds with the company’s values.
2) Keeping Up with the Market
Before social media, market research usually involved hiring a third party company to conduct surveys and focus groups; now, businesses are able to do their own research. Audiences can be reacted to with a greater sense of ease simply by reaching out to different social platforms and studying how users are reacting to different types of content and brands. In fact, Twitter and Facebook’s use of trending articles can also help to shape what your audience are currently interested in, providing up-to-date insights at any time.
But it’s not just your audience you can keep an eye on: with most businesses having a social presence of some kind, it has never been easier to explore what your competitors are doing. Although few will list their prices, you’ll still be able to ascertain what kind of content they’re using to attract their following and identify areas where they could improve – ensuring your social strategy is up to scratch in comparison.
3) Customer Care
Social media marketing gets the customers in, but keeping them loyal to the brand is a whole other ball game. Rarely do people write, phone or even email their displeasure at a brand; complaints are now posted for the world to see on Twitter and Facebook, and how businesses respond can make or break their public image. But by properly using the resources at your disposal, your business could foster a strong enough relationship with its customers, that it finds retaining them a walk in the park.
4) Proving Your Authority
As a business owner, you’ll be expected to have intimate knowledge of your industry – and proving it has never been easier. By writing a few articles a month (or hiring a copywriter to fulfil this quota) and posting them out onto LinkedIn or Facebook, you can quickly and easily cement your authority on any subject. If online audiences continue to share your articles around, your social signals – as well as those of the brand – will increase to the point of being greatly beneficial to your SEO, as well as your offline reputation.
Interested in bolstering your social media presence with a professional campaign and support? Get in touch with the Christian Michaels Agency and let’s talk social!