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Using social media for inbound marketing

8 social media tips to drive inbound sales

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With an estimated 2.65 billion people using social media around the world (source: Statista), it makes sense to be part of the conversation when marketing your business.

Now, one size does not fit all. So, we’ve gathered a few top tips on what to consider when embarking on improving your social media presence for your inbound marketing strategy.

  1. What social media platforms should you use? There’s no clear answer to this but what’s certain is that one size does not fit all. Review what social networks are right for your business, brand and the client base you want to reach out to. Don’t waste your time speaking to everyone. So, if you’re an accounting firm for small businesses or business owners of local businesses then using social media channels such as LinkedIn and Twitter are ideal for lead generation. But don’t dismiss Facebook. While you may think that it’s all about what you’re eating or doing at the weekend, having presence on this social media channel provides a link to help domain authority but also people use Facebook as a search engine so it means your business will be found.
  2. Who do you want to speak to? It’s important to be targeted. You need to know and understand your audience. Define your audience and create a persona for them, read more about setting this up. This will help you build trust with your audience as they come to understand that you understand their challenges and you are helping them to overcome them.
  3. Content is king: Once you’ve uploaded a blog to your website, share it on social media with a link back to your website. But, don’t just post without thought of what you’re writing. Tailor posts to the social platform, its users and your target audience. Regularly follow industry specific contacts and thought leaders, engage and share posts relevant to your audience. When you share another article, add comments to the post to move the story on or show your appreciation of what an article was about.
  4. Imagery: Content is also about imagery. With people watching nearly 2 billion videos on Twitter per day, it makes sense to include pictures or video to help standout.
  5. Be a thought leader: Provide your product services in the form of tips, advice and comments that your target audience will be interested to hear about and would want to share themselves. But all the time, be genuine and engaging while remaining respectful.
  6. Be chatty yet professional: Get the right tone for the social platform you are using and make sure it’s right for building your brand awareness, your target audience and potential clients.
  7. Remember it’s social: With social media marketing don’t lose sight that this is meant to be a social environment and people are generally not there to be sold to. 
  8. Part of the inbound sales marketing strategy: When it comes to Return on Investment, it may be one of the lowest returns in an inbound digital marketing strategy, but that by no means implies ignore it. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, therefore incorporating social media into your digital marketing plan means you have added another touch point to reach your audience, engage with them and learn about your offering. This is a vital part of your overall inbound marketing strategy to help build awareness and trust.

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If you need help, from a social media agency, with setting up your social media channels or your entire inbound marketing strategy, contact us today for a free consultation. We also work with on social media for accountancy marketing.

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Social Media

8 tips on setting up and running social media

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With over 3.2 billion people using social media platforms globally (Source: awario), it’s not difficult to understand why incorporating it into your digital marketing strategy is another great way of reaching prospects.

Here’s our top tips to remember when setting up and running a social media channel for your business.

  1. One size does not fit all: Before you a start any social media for your business it’s worth remembering that not all platforms will be relevant to target the audience you want to reach. Conduct some research first and see what platforms your competitors are using. See how frequently they post and what they’re talking about.
  2. Know your audience: As with any digital marketing tool you adopt, you must know your target audience before you can even think about what you should be posting about or who you should be engaging with.
  3. Complete as much information as possible: Sounds obvious but ensuring you’ve populated as much as possible, helps build brand trust. So, check your bio and company details – do they need updating? What about your company details and services – are they all present and correct?
  4. Be a thought leader: Provide tips, advice and interesting comments that your target audience will be interested to hear about and would want to share themselves. When you post a blog to your website, if you have social channels you have the opportunity to share this news to your social audience with a link back to your website. This extends reach further and helps your search ranking.
  5. Quality not quantity: Make your content relevant and tailor it for each platform. And,nowadays the focus is on quality followers not quantity. Gone are the days when you would conduct a ‘follow / unfollow’ campaign.
  6. Images: They say a picture is worth a thousand words so use images and video in your social media. Tweets with video attract 10x more engagement (Source: Business Twitter)
  7. What’s the story? Instagram and Facebook both have a story function which scrolls across the top of the feed and so due to this prominent visibility helps with views and engagement. It’s a great way to post live from exhibitions or about things of interest to your business. Instagram Stories posted a 220% increase in year-on-year ad spend (Our Social Times, 2018 – Source: Hubspot) – Its popularity is certainly on the rise.
  8. Get Networking: 40% of LinkedIn members visit the social network platform each day (Source: Omnicore Agency, 2018 via Hubspot). As a B2B channel, networking is at its heart. LinkedIn helps boost your businesses brand and profile, which in turns help the company earn trust.

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Here’s more blogs to help you with your social media marketing.

How to use different social media platforms

The different social media platforms and how to use them

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Social media is one of the many tools of digital marketing. It is a quick way to get your message out, cost-effective and an efficient way to promote your business to potential clients and consumers. You’re able to reach out to prospects at the click of a button. Social media also helps you to engage with your audience through an open line of communication. But with so many social media channels out there it is important to utilise the right social media platforms relevant to your business to get the most out of it.

Take a look through some of the most popular social media platforms and see if there’s something for your business:

Instagram

Via Instagram you can discover new trends, people, and businesses through sharing images to followers. You can use hashtags to spread the reach of your messages to people who are interested in the type of content you produce. Ensure you post regularly with hashtags and note what posts get the most likes or comments to guide you in future posts. Think visually and create a themed Instagram feed to really help showcase what your business is about. Instagram is very popular with engagement on Instagram 15 times higher than it is on Facebook!

Facebook

Facebook, some might say, is slowly coming to the end of its popularity, but this doesn’t mean you can completely overlook it, especially if you are trying to appeal to a slightly older audience. You can easily add links to blogs or upcoming projects or create events. You can also use Facebook messenger to interact with your audience and fill them in on any news they may find interesting. You are able to create live videos to further engage your audience. It’s more consumer focused so getting that tone right for your audience is key.

LinkedIn

Now there’s no excuse not to network. Linkedin is a business2business channel with networking at its core allowing you to connect with other professionals, clients, colleagues, prospects and employers. You can promote yourself by showcasing your achievements and what your business is about. Produce engaging content to encourage likes, shares and connections. LinkedIn helps boost your business brand and profile.

Snapchat

Snapchat allows you to post live photos or videos instantly to your audience. These stay online for 24hrs, so it is important to upload every day. You post via ‘Stories’ which can be viewed by anyone subscribed to your Snapchat. Snapchat is great if your target audience is slightly younger as 71% of Generation Z (born between 1995-2015) use Snapchat daily. To ensure a successful Snapchat following, promote your Snapchat account on other social media channels.

YouTube

YouTube can be used to discover new things going on in the local area, nationwide, or even globally, so it is perfect for whatever audience you have. To get views you need to have an enticing title and thumbnail. You also need a continuous flow of content, perhaps once or twice a week. You are also able to use tags, keywords and categories to help your video appear higher up in YouTube searches.

Twitter

With a Twitter account your bio is a quick opportunity to showcase what your brand is about in 160 characters. Track when is the perfect time to tweet. Twitter peak hours tend to be around 1-3pm on weekdays, the worst times to post are after 8pm and after 3pm on Fridays. Content needs to be regular and more often than other channels. Like other channels, spread your reach with relevant hashtags – but not too many on this channel.

Keep it relevant

The most important factors to consider when it comes to using social media marketing is to post frequently, connect all your social media channels together through links, and engage with your audience. Utilise all the channels at your disposable, as long as they are relevant to your business, and set aside time in your day to work on your social media platforms.

Social media marketing agency

If you need help and advice on using social media and a successful marketing tool, then get in touch with Smart Cow Marketing. Digital marketers based in Croydon, we can help create a professional marketing plan tailored to your business. Call us on 020 3137 1826

Facebook tips to benefit your business

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With over 2 billion users, Facebook is still the most popular social media channel. So, how can you harness it to the benefit of your business?

Setting the tone

Firstly, developing a marketing strategy will go a long way to ensure messages are consistent and targeted specifically for your audience. If your tone is not right then it will be easy for your potential customers to move on in the very fast paced social media world.

We find that creating a persona detailing your target customer is by far the best way to start. This way you can make sure your messaging is just right for your audience.

Targeted Facebook ads

Social media is an ideal way to communicate about new products and services. And, if you want to really target your audience you might find that Facebook Ads work for you. But be strategic with your scheduling. Research has shown that Sunday and Monday are the cheapest days to place ads.

We also find that testing posts can help really hone your message so it is just right. Test messaging with different calls to action and switch off the least successful. Hootsuite, a social media management platform, has identified that the phrase ‘sign up’ actually has the best conversion rate.

Explore other social channels

However, it’s worth noting that teenagers don’t think as much of Facebook as their millennial counterparts. YouTube is by far the most popular channel with teens with 91% using it in 2016*.

So, although getting your business on Facebook could prove to be beneficial, don’t put all your eggs into one basket. Take time to get to grips with other social channels. For instance, Snapchat is fast becoming a go to for businesses. Check out Hootsuite’s beginners guide to Snapchat to set you on your way

Social media agency Croydon

If you’re embarking on using a social media channel talk to us about the best combination of channels to help you stand out from the crowd.

Sources: Research by The National Cyber Security Alliance and Microsoft

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