This week, I have moved back to Norwich following a 3-month stint living with my parents in Hertfordshire. Being back in Norwich means being back in the office and I have truly loved it. Working from home has been a good experience, but nothing beats bouncing ideas off your colleagues in real-time.
One thing that I have been thinking about a lot this week is the impact that social media marketing can have on a company – an impact that often goes unnoticed.
We all know that good marketing will lead to conversions (or whatever your end goal may be) – however, social media marketing does so much more than simply generating leads.
In general, marketing gives businesses an opportunity to be sociable with their target audience. I like to think of marketing as a conversation between a company and the client; it provides an opportunity for people to get to know you and understand what you’re all about.
If I am researching a business or thinking of buying from someone, I will look them up online – as most people will. Personally, if I search a company and find a fully-formed website and social media pages with a decent following, that company is legitimised to me. Perhaps it’s wrong that the size of a social media following and the activity of an account influence the way that I perceive a business, but they do. Inactivity isn’t attractive to me as a customer.
Connecting with your community via social media channels presents your business in a new and (often) more personal light. By engaging with potential clients in groups or online forums, companies can demonstrate their knowledge and willingness to help clients without trying to directly sell.
The same applies to online customer care. Often people will rant on social media without any expectation of being contacted by the company in question; therefore, replying to enquiries and complaints on social media helps to make the customer feel seen and attended to. Generally, this has been proven to improve customer advocacy levels [1]. Additionally, if these exchanges are public, other people will see your responses and, if nothing else, will be impressed that you engage with client feedback (the good, the bad, and the ugly!).
Consequently, even if your social media accounts don’t bring in a huge amount of leads, they will definitely have an ‘unseen’ impact on the way that clients perceive your business. If you aren’t already investing some time (and maybe even some money) into your social strategy, I’d recommend starting now.
Grace Appleby 