Social Media Marketing – The new “Word of Mouth”.
It is fair to say that nowadays consumers are far more savvy about how and where they shop and social media marketing plays a large part in this. Let me explain…
One of the main criteria that people continually use when selecting a business or service is the fact that they have a perceived level of trust. Historically one of the main ways that trust has been established was through word of mouth. Nowadays social media marketing sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn offer people a platform upon which they can seek information about a business or service and indeed their products. They can also engage with that business in a social environment. For this reason, social media sites have become the new word of mouth.
Studies into the purchasing cycle have shown that on average 50% of people will seek advice from others before they consider making that purchase. They won’t simply jump in with a click of a mouse on the whim of a good-looking website and a few testimonials. For instance, many people will use sites such as Trip Advisor before they even contemplate booking a holiday or a weekend away and positive or negative online reviews play an important part in the decision-making process. In addition to this, many people will ask questions about a product or service on social media marketing sites. Finally, with the technology of the smartphone, consumers can check the cheapest prices, customer comments and product reviews pretty much on the spot and will look to explore all these avenues before they make an informed purchase. For these reasons, businesses need to be present in these conversations.
Good social media marketing is all about being in touch and approachable to your customer base, so constant communication is the key. However, it’s often difficult to gauge the amount of feedback your product is getting across a wide variety of platforms. After all, it’s extremely time-consuming, not to mention virtually impossible to be checking for comments across many channels. One simple tool that can help is Google Alerts. This way you can be notified as soon as Google lists any conversation that mentions your product, services or business and this means that you can respond in a timely fashion. There are a range of other tools available for Social Media Monitoring and Reputation Management.
Even a less-than-positive review can look favourable on a business if it’s responded to in a timely and correct manner.
As you can see, it isn’t just about using social media marketing, it’s about how you use it that could make or break your business. Here at WSI we can help you to plan an effective social media marketing campaign and can give you advice on how to promote your business through word of mouth.
Contact us today to see exactly what we can do for you.
