Social networks as part of online marketing for business
In these times it is not possible to sustain a successful marketing and communication campaign, without contemplating digital media as a tool to position your brand and increase your sales.
At the online marketing level, it is possible to implement email marketing campaigns (mass mailings) to send messages to people whose email addresses you have and who are part of your clientele, but the most powerful tool would be the use of social networks to reach millions of people who use them.
A new sales and contact channel
Social networks are undoubtedly a new and indispensable channel for companies around the world. Digital media are a key tool for business development, as well as the fulfillment of their sales and positioning objectives.
If we analyze the presence in social networks, these can be considered a mixed channel, since on the one hand they have the massive potential of media such as television, but they also have the capacity for one-to-one communication with potential customers, which helps not only to address their doubts but also to build brand loyalty.
The options for personalization of messages and content on ad platforms, direct messaging with a customer relationship manager, as well as being able to demonstrate products or services through concrete strategies are leading more and more companies to allocate time and budget to establish social media marketing for businesses large and small.
SMEs and Social Networks in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, the most popular social network by number of users is Facebook, closely followed by WhatsApp and Instagram. On these platforms you can create complete digital marketing campaigns with photos and videos of the company's products or services, to help you meet your sales goals and get closer to the millions of users who access them daily.
For an SME, social networks offer a dynamic and more economical way than other mass media to share their content and look at how to implement an online marketing plan that will help them grow.
It is important not to leave aside the objectives, but it must be in a constant adjustment of online marketing strategies, that means that marketing actions must be according to the product, trends and new tools that are available to the social media in charge.
Where to start
Once your company understands the need for a digital media marketing plan you should establish the following key points.
- Target audience and area of action.
- Digital presence.
- Semiannual, annual and general objectives.
- Budget.
- Reports and analysis.
Target audience and area of action:
It is very important to remember who your product or service is aimed at. You should determine their age and geographic area as well as other relevant data. With them you will be able to communicate to your social media who your target audience is and they will be able to advise you on the best social network to reach them. Remember, there is no point in advertising your products if your customers can't see them.
Digital presence:
It is important to make an analysis of the digital channels that are available or which ones should be opened. It is not only important to have active and optimized social networks, you must also have tools such as the Google listing for businesses (Google My Business), as well as a website with all your contact information, schedules and others.
Today's customers research your company, if your digital presence is not complete or reliable they will not want to buy your products or services.
Semiannual, annual and general objectives:
The formula for success is always to set clear, measurable and realistic goals. Unclear goals such as "having more customers" will not help your business, having realistic numbers about your current customers and setting goals such as "5% more customers in San Jose" are necessary and advisable.
Start by outlining general goals for your marketing plan, then define annual objectives, and finally the half-yearly objectives, so that you can successfully measure your actions.
Budget:
Social networks combine efforts that do not carry economic investment (organic content), with paid content (ads) to achieve the objectives mentioned above. Social networks are basically companies that sell advertising space, so if you want to reach a large number of potential customers you will have to spend money on ads, but the good news is that it is very economical and with experienced social media like us you can get great returns.
Reports and analysis:
It is important that all the actions you carry out, both organic and paid, have their proper evaluation and analysis. With the reports that you can obtain from a specialized social media you will be able to better understand which actions have been successful and which have not, as well as sector trends, seasonality, customer preferences and other important data that will help you make better decisions.
Do you need support with your social networks? At Click we can help you have digital marketing professionals from different fields, working to boost your business, with convenient packages that fit your needs, contact us!