Social media... it's a tricky one many brands shy away from. Making it work, whether you sell through a direct or indirect sales model, can be a real challenge. But just because it's tricky, does not mean you should avoid it. Instead, embrace it and all that it brings. These 5 points below will explain why..
1.Buyers spend 2/3 of their buying decision online
Influence is key. With users spending on average 1.25 hours a day on social media, this is a great place to target potential customers and be at the forefront of their minds.
Yes I'm sure some of you are thinking I'm already doing social media, but are you being a thought leader? And what about your resellers, and sales employees? Do they help your brand stand out from the crowd? Are they all influencing potential buyers as effectively as they could? If not, it is unlikely consumers are going to pick your products over competitors. Relevant, informative, and compliant content is essential. Over time you, your employees and your resellers will become social trusted advisors, and when consumers are ready, you and your advocates will be the ones chosen.
But how can I control what my resellers and employees post, I hear you ask... By using a social media amplification platform such as socialondemand®, you can send your brand messages to all of your brand advocates and enable them to share this content with their own friends, followers and business contacts.
Remember it's not that your partners and staff don't want to post your content; it's that they seldom have the time or in fact know what content to post. Here you are solving this issue for them.
2.Wider target audiences
So like every organisation, I'm sure your overall aim is to grow your business and increase your revenue, right? What better way than to use social media to reach a global audience. With users all over the world, this is now possible.
And you don't even need a huge marketing budget. Social media employee and channel advocacy programs can help you reach the audience of all your brand advocates. So, instead of limiting your reach to your immediate network of followers, use the extended reach that your employees and resellers have.
3.Engage with your audience
It's true you may occasionally receive some negative comments on social media, but use the ability to reply to show what impeccable customer service you provide. This then puts you in a favourable light to buyers researching your products. There are numerous methods to encourage interaction, one example being competitions to obtain a response and truly engage your audience.
4.Online word of mouth
With customers doing their research before making a buying decision, it's crucially important that they can examine how creditable your business is, and how your product could work for them. Social media allows consumers to review your offering and brand validity. Reviews are a very powerful thing, negative ones can in some cases break businesses reputation if they are not handled correctly and even worse, ignored. But they can also be hugely positive. Customer reviews are vital to assure potential customers of your trustworthiness and social media can harness this. Be translucent to buyers, it's the best way to be.
5.Competition
Social media is a really great way to analyse what your competitors are doing. You can then determine how to stand right out from the crowd.
The size of your business does not matter when it comes to social media. It allows any business to potentially compete with the huge global players. Show buyers what you are capable of and what you are all about. Show them that you work with great partners. Show them how experienced and knowledgeable your sales staff is. If you get it right your ROI could be huge!
So whatever you do, don't ignore social media hoping it is just a fad. It has many benefits that you should embrace. Work with your brand advocates and socially enable them. And why not make it easy for yourself and use a social media amplification platform like socialondemand to manage yours and your resellers' accounts? Don't just take my word for it, Microsoft, one of our customers, reach 21 million prospects every day by using social media. That could be you. Give it a go.
An article from
5 Reasons Every Brand Should Embrace Social Media Employee and Channel Advocacy Programs
Filed Under:
Social Media Updates