Marketing To YOUR Social Media Consumers?

Social media changes the way businesses market to consumers..

Nearly everything is going digital and that includes the way many businesses market to consumers.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Era Customer Service?

Since billions of people are now active social media users, more businesses are jumping online to gain traffic and attention and to communicate with customers.

Marketing through social media is important for many area businesses, including Jack Williams Tire and Auto Service Centers, which has 36 retail locations and 12 warehouses throughout Northeast and Central Pennsylvania.

When Jack Williams Tire wanted to promote the Goodyear Blimp coming to the area recently, the business turned to social media.

The longtime Goodyear tire dealer posted a photo on social media encouraging people to visit the business’s website to enter a contest called “Catch a Ride, The Right Way” to win a free ride on the blimp. Five people won the contest and they were able to bring guests.

When the blimp flew into the area, Jack Williams Tire used social media again asking people to snap pictures of it, post them on Facebook or Instagram and tag @jackwilliamstire for the chance to win a free set of Goodyear tires. Dozens of people posted photos of the blimp and the winner was Thomas Dunbar of Wilkes-Barre.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Customer Service Strategy?

Rebecca Griffis, marketing manager for Jack Williams Tire, recently met with Dunbar and gave him a certificate for the free tires.

Jack Williams Tire also recently used Facebook to promote its Labor Day deals, including its “buy three, get one free” offer on Nokian tires and savings on other brands as well as to post job openings.

With so many people constantly on their smartphones, Griffis said social media provides a great platform to interact with customers and to try to grow the business’ customer base.

When they are at car shows, she said they post on Facebook encouraging people to stop by the Jack Williams Tire booth to win a gift card.

Customers are encouraged to write reviews on Facebook and Griffis said that’s also important for business.

“It’s a way for customers to interact with you whether it be a good or bad experience,” she said. “At least we have that avenue to communicate with them to fix the problem.”

Related Article: Why Brands Are Friendly On Social Media?

Responding to comments, direct messages and reviews on Facebook is a full-time job, she said.

Some of Jack Williams Tire’s Facebook posts are free and some are sponsored ads. For more people to see the post, Griffis said “you have to put some money behind it but it pays off because it gets the word out.”

Gerrity’s, which has nine supermarkets in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, promotes things like its “Dinner of the Day” and “Mom’s Deal of the Day” on Facebook.

In celebration of 123 years of Gerrity’s, the family-owned regional supermarket chain is giving away $1,230 in gift cards, with a top prize of $500 and promoted this on Facebook as well. Facebook users could click a link to enter the gift card contest.

Joe Fasula, co-owner of Gerrity’s, said when they posted on Facebook that they had cotton candy grapes available for sale, they flew off the shelves. He described that as “incredible” social media engagement.

“The nice thing about Facebook is once you build your following, you can be creative how you engage people and get people to engage with your page,” Fasula said.

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Facebook allows businesses to advertise for free but Fasula said Gerrity’s also sponsors ads that are seen by more people.

Gerrity’s has about 31,150 followers on Facebook and he said he is able to see how many people are seeing the posts.

Gerrity’s tries to target customers through their smartphones and desktops. The store’s target demographic is mainly women age 25 and up who have children and who do the grocery shopping, he said.

In addition to digital marketing on Facebook or through Google, Gerrity’s also advertises on different websites for a low cost and Fasula said it is relatively easy.

“The wonderful thing about advertising on Facebook or doing any type of digital advertising is the ability to target a specific demographic and seeing if we are reaching people who are potential customers,” Fasula said.

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Justin Matus, Ph.D., associate professor of business at Wilkes University, said there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach or a silver bullet for businesses to use social media marketing to build a brand and boost sales.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram allow businesses to test the waters to see what works for them, he said.

A business trying to target young people might choose to use platforms like Instagram and Snapchat over Facebook, he said.

Guest Authored By Denise Allabaugh. Denise is a staff-writer for The Citizens Voice. Follow Denise on Twitter.

Related Article: Marketing Strategies To Transcend YOUR Industry?

"“At the end of the day, a lousy product or service is not going to benefit from Facebook or social media,” Matus said.

“At the end of the day, you need a good product and good service and the right place to promote it..” -DeniseAllabaugh

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  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Salt Lake City, UT. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

YOUR Social Media Consumer Communication?

3 Rules for speaking with consumers on social media, not at them..

Opinion: Followers can still comment, but the essence of the conversation is lost.

Related Article: Crucial Social Media Strategy For YOUR Brand?

We Know That Conversation is a Lost Art

And regardless of whether consumers’ attention spans are in fact shorter than that of a goldfish, we know they are pretty damn short.

Consumers use a variety of social applications for quick chats and sharing content. From ephemeral content to influencers, brands have invested tons of time and money trying to capture their attention at every turn. However, many brands are having an increasingly difficult time connecting with consumers on these platforms.

So, what has caused the decline of social impact for brands? It’s not just the changes to news feeds or separation of social and media content that is driving the decrease, although a 20 percent engagement drop for brands and publishers and 83 percent negative reviews on a redesign sure doesn’t help.

Related Article: Adjusting YOUR Business Social Media Presence?

The Crux of The Issue is Pretty Simple: Social Media Has Lost its Identity and its Impact

Some of you may be thinking, “What on earth am I talking about? Social media is everything.” Well, yes and no.

Social platforms still have plenty of followers, but they have made many shifts in how brands interact with those followers. They went from encouraging collaboration and conversation to nothing more than an extension of TV. Brands, influencers and individuals now simply broadcast information at their audience, in the same fashion that TV viewers have seen for decades. Sure, followers can still comment, but the essence of the conversation is lost. This leads to less discussion and a disengaged audience—not a good fit for brands.

Rather than brands sticking with the current approach and continually banging their heads against the wall in frustration, they must adapt. Speaking with consumers, and not at them, will revive the connection.

Following three simple rules will set brands up for success in changing and improving the dialog with consumers.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Customer Service?

Use Content That Makes Consumers Feel Like a Part of The Conversation

Creating great content is hard enough, but developing content that actually garners response and conversation is even tougher. Focus on content that is not only visual, emotive and shareable, but that will make consumers feel like they are a part of discussion rather than being just a content receptacle.

Generating that organic virality of your content is the holy grail, and it will increase awareness, reach and user-acquisition efforts.

In tandem with the captivating content you produce, be sure to have a plan in place for how to respond to consumer feedback. Content like this will inherently create chatter, and it positions you in a place of commodity, not hindrance, so be prepared to reply with authenticity and value. Don’t end up scrambling to formulate responses—otherwise the content is wasted and your audience is likely gone.

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Don’t Rely Solely on Bots to Communicate With Your Audience

Bots are amazing and are one of the hottest things in advertising today. Yes, they have the potential to improve your business, but they are not the lone solution to all of your problems.

Like most technology, human touch is still essential to consumer interaction. It’s a matter of time before consumers adapt to bot responses and expect more than what artificial intelligence is currently offering, so dedicating someone to speak with your audience is pivotal.

If you and your team deem a bot strategy key to your key performance indicators, then deploy the bots, but make sure that you have some humans interacting with your consumers, too.

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Use Technology That is Inherently Conversational

Now that we’ve emphasized the importance of human elements for most of this piece, let’s discuss how tech plugs into it all.

When looking at any digital solution for your marketing efforts, it’s paramount that the tech is a place where consumers are already spending time communicating with one another. Why complicate things when you can deliver on awareness, consideration and conversion on a platform where people are spending a considerable amount of time?

Leveraging tech like messaging apps, which streamline content curation and management, while giving brands the tools to have one-on-one or one-on-many messages will improve your KPIs. Consumers are spending a tremendous amount of time on messaging apps, 20 percent more than on social apps.

Guest Authored By Cristina Constandache. Christina is vice president of global partnerships at messaging and voice calling app Viber. Follow Christina on Twitter.

Related Article: Marketing Strategies To Transcend YOUR Industry?

"Social media may be experiencing an identity crisis, but this doesn’t mean that your brand should suffer in the process.

In a society where attention spans are minimal, it is time that brands get back to the basics.

Take the time to speak with consumers, listen to them and, in turn, reap the benefits of dedicating time and attention to the customer.." -CristinaConstandache

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  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)