Letting your social media community just sit there can do more harm than good. It needs to be more community focused. For consumers, social media is a voice, a sanctuary, and a news anchor.
Consumers can voice their opinion on a company or product, and if it’s negative and left unanswered it can quickly become a major problem. Other consumers may have the same issue and leave a similar message, and if other visitors encounter these unresolved issues it could give a negative perception of the brand and ultimately hurt sales.

 

Many consumers and company followers browse the web to seek out general or specific information regarding the brands they like to follow. So give them what they want.

 

Design your social media like a well-stocked vending machine. Content that your brand offers is all there at consumers’ convenience and provides freedom to choose what they wish. As product depletes (time passing in this case), refresh the content. It is imperative to remain current and engage with your consumers/followers to keep them coming back and leaving satisfied. Unless you have a unique social media page for a promotion, give it the same look and feel across all social media platforms (including website) so it is aligned with your brand.

 

Social media is also a powerful promotional tool. This is because any promotion you push through this medium can get passed along quite easily and quickly by your followers. This viral aspect is like word-of-mouth spreading only in electronic form; just remember that messages passed along can be either positive or negative. As mentioned in our What’s Your Social Media ROI? post with StumbleUpon and social media referrals, referrals through social media result in a 50% increase in buying intention. Also, one company used Twitter exceedingly well. Computer manufacturer Dell directly attributed $1 million in sales in December 2008 to their use of Twitter.

 

Dell has an online outlet store and set up @DellOutlet account on Twitter as a primary way to promote coupons, clearance events and new arrival information to followers. Not only were people going onto the Dell.com/outlet site from Twitter, some visits transpired into purchases of a new system from elsewhere on Dell.com. This example demonstrates how strategic your social media campaign can be and how it can be integrated into your overall sales and marketing efforts.

 

Social media can work for you and against you. Consumers can find out information regarding your brand and any current offer you may have, but avoid inundating them with too much self-promotion. Find that happy medium between selling your products/services and having consumers experience your brand through engaging community discussion.

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