SMM is a multifunctional internet marketing tool?
Social networks are the most powerful tool of Internet marketing. It is a sin to argue with this statement, but the tools are different: for specific specific purposes and multifunctional. What is the calling of SMM? What to expect from social networks and is there any commercial use from them at all?
We use SMM for its intended purpose
What is a social network? This is a cozy place on the Internet, where people from all over the world have fun and communicate. Communication is a prerequisite for any social network. Even if you are an avid silent guerrilla of the 80th level, do not like to comment on pictures with cats and upload 500 photos from your trips abroad, you are still part of a communicating online society. If you have a profile on a social network, then you are already a part of it, you clearly see everything that is happening around and wind the information on your mustache.
In social networks, people share their impressions, openly express their "fe" on any occasion, including the consumed services and products. So why not cut into the user's monologue and turn it into a dialogue? Customers will be able to "talk heart to heart" directly with company managers, view reviews, get acquainted with new products and promotional offers. At the same time, no one will have to leave the comfortable atmosphere of the social network.
What can businessmen learn from this information? Social networks are useful for:
- Communication with clients.
- Conflict management.
- Monitoring customer sentiment.
- Improving the service and reputation of the company.
- Increasing brand awareness.
In addition to open communication with users, companies can also track users' moods in thematic groups, monitor mentions of a company or brand on social networks using hashtags and special services. Open communication with consumers involves the formation of the "voice" of the company. By the way, the more human this “voice”, the closer the contact with users, the better.
A big plus of social media is the lightning speed of dissemination of information, the reaction of users will also not be long in coming. News about a change in the policy of delivery and payment for goods, the launch of new products on the market - such important events will certainly be accompanied by comments from users. Prompt response to feedback from potential customers can help improve not only the service, product or service, but also have a beneficial effect on the reputation and degree of brand trust.
Indirect they are additional SMM tasks
The positive opinion of potential customers is good, but, as they say, you can’t put it in your pocket. In addition, a very small percentage of companies can be called a recognizable brand. The effectiveness of SMM is an interesting thing. How to measure it? By the number of likes, audience coverage, subscriber activity or sales?
Communication with customers and monitoring of moods will be useful to improve the service. Good service = satisfied customers = repeat orders = increased profits. Yes, SMM affects the growth of sales and the conquest of a new audience, but the presence of representations in ten social networks cannot be a guarantee of profit growth for any company.
Fresh research on this topic is shocking with frightening numbers and stunning conclusions. Forrester, based on a study of 77,000 online purchases, found that only 1% of online purchases were provided exclusively by social networks. The conclusion of the study: social networks can only in rare cases be a source of purchases. An analyst from the MIT Sloan Management Review does not agree with this opinion, since the study did not take into account the specifics of small businesses. Small companies often achieve significant success in social commerce.
The validity of the last statement can be confirmed by another study. Its essence is simple: medium and small companies are more open to their customers. They pay more attention to social media as a tool for developing customer support.
The interaction of large companies from the Fortune list with social networks:
- 50% avoid frequent contact with customers;
- 27% do not post links to their profiles on the pages of the official site.
SMM is a versatile tool, but very tricky to use. You can trust it only to experienced pros who know that it is suitable, not only to chop nuts, but also to solder microcircuits. Specialists will help to correctly build a strategy for developing the company's image in social networks, establish a dialogue with consumers and smoothly, almost imperceptibly for subscribers, turn them into customers.
PS In one of our next articles, we will develop the topic of the tasks and real opportunities of social networks and give practical advice for companies that are going to order SMM services.