There are several misconceptions prevailing about social media and content marketing strategies and that is possibly the reason why many businesses are not able to succeed with their SMM( Social Media Marketing) and content marketing efforts.
Despite the fact that man is a social animal and social media is gaining enormous popularity, still several business organizations believe that their customers are not social. Surveys reveal that more than 69% of consumers use social media sites before making their buying decisions.
Many business houses believe that social media is not measurable and this is a false perception. Social is extremely measurable – provided you do on social media things, that can be measured. But too often people expect there to be a magic “social media measurement” button.
You have to use social media to build robust relationships with existing customers and cultivate prospective buyers. For this you have to provide though-provoking content, initiate conversation and engage the users generally.
Never ever ignore negative comments – a costly mistake many businesses commit. It is your job to make every upset customer happy and to thank those that post positive reviews. You can even request happy customers to post favorable reviews.
To deal wit both positive as well as negative comments on the social media, it is essential that you first listen. Make sure your brand is on record as listening and caring, because all customers/prospects are looking for suppliers who are trustworthy and who promptly attend to their needs and complaints.
Get rid of the notion that social media will kill email. Given that you must have an email to sign up for any social network, it’s tough to visualize a scenario by which email vanishes. Use both social media and email to keep your brand top-of-mind among your customers and prospects. Email and social media are complementary tactics and not opposition tactics.
Establish yourself as your industry-leader. Your content should create thought leadership. Increase your knowledge of the industry by reading expert blogs and books, attending educational events and sharing experiences with your peers.
Please know that content marketing and social media are separate initiatives. Somebody aptly described “Content is fire. Social media is gasoline”. Use social media to drive awareness of your content and your brand. Like social and email, content and social media should also be working in tandem. Try to make your content marketing more about your products and services