Why social Media should not be your only form of marketing!

We all know that social media has plenty of clout. Its power and reach are demonstrated every single day in lots of different ways - both positively and in some cases negatively too. But if you are solely relying on it for your marketing, I would urge you to think again. For the best results, I always advise my clients to use social media as part of a larger marketing strategy.

Because social media is a relatively easy and low-cost way to promote your business online, many people believe it’s all they need to do for customers to come flooding to their door. When this doesn’t happen, clients complain, telling me that what I have done for them has not worked. When I ask them what else they are doing at the same time to market their business, a blank look is not uncommon.

Increase your number of touchpoints

Social media is quick, can help to raise awareness of your brand, drive traffic to your website and build engagement. But if you tie it in with other activities (blogging, fresh website content, e-newsletters, direct mail, networking etc.) you are effectively increasing the number of touchpoints that prospective customers have with your brand.

However, at this point it’s worth reminding you of two important things:

  1. Social media wasn’t built for business
  2. Not everyone uses social media

With this in mind, I believe it’s best not to limit yourself to just this one marketing channel. By adopting a broader range of activities means you will be able to reach a greater number of people who are appreciative of and receptive to your efforts.

Have a plan

Before you spend any money on your social media activities, you need to have worked out your objectives or goals and put a plan in place, complete with appropriate timings and a realistic budget. Ideally, your plan needs to integrate your online activities with other forms of marketing. In addition, you must ensure that any messaging or content is regularly delivered to your target audience and is consistent across all channels. And it goes without saying that you need to monitor, measure and learn from any results you get.

Joined up thinking

One of the most effective ways you’ll experience success is by firstly ensuring your website features keyword-rich content that has been written with your target audience in mind. Secondly, you need to make it part of a well-executed and highly targeted series of campaigns with regular blog posts, emails, social media updates, advertising and promotions. This will ensure that your business becomes more searchable online.

This will enable you to:

All of which will encourage your customers to establish trust and feel confident to make return visits and/or purchases in the future. So, what are you waiting for? Time to start planning!


Share this article:
< Back