Sales and marketing

How to
use social
networks
in e-marketing?

On May 1, the Boomerang conference was held at Montreal’s Palais des Congrès. More than 550 electronic communications and electronic marketing professionals participated.

According to analyst Francis Bédard, one of the most important points made at the conference was that today, the major challenge facing companies is the matter of how to be a part of the everyday life of consumers – consumers viewed as real human beings, and not just as mere users of products.

Blending into real people’s everyday life is exactly what social media can do. Does this mean that a business should rush to create its Facebook and Twitter accounts as soon as possible? If so, what should a business do once these accounts have been created?

Have social networks become a necessity?

A company without a presence on social media isn’t condemned to obscurity. However, if your business doesn’t sell its products and/or services online, some Internet users will question your online absence, leading to the loss of significant sales opportunities.

The real question isn’t whether social networks are necessary; what you need to know is the degree to which your business is ready to invest the resources necessary to make the effort worthwhile.

Here are some facts which could help you decide:

Some Social-Network Statistics

(Note: Surveys were conducted in the United States. Data may vary depending on a company’s line of business.)

• Four out of 10 social-media users buy a product after having shared or liked it on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
• Seventy-one percent (71%) of Internet users who shop online tend to rely on opinions which are circulating on social media.
• The social media which most influence online purchasing are:

• Seventy-three percent (73%) of people express increased trust in an SMB after having read its posts on Twitter.
• Eighty percent (80%) of Internet users prefer to receive discounts and promotions on social media over traditional communication methods.
• Ninety percent (90%) of Internet users who have received a response from an SMB on Twitter have a better opinion of the business in question.
• The main reason for which users tweet about an SMB is to share a positive experience.

How do you use social networks properly?

It isn’t advisable to get onto social media simply out of necessity. Ideally, a business should integrate social networks into its marketing strategies with a view to increasing its visibility, raising its profile, enhancing SEO, and strengthening its relationship with clients.

There are many recommendations on the subject, but the most important piece of advice is without a doubt the simplest: make the decision to invest your time. Although in theory it is true that social networks are free, in practice, they do consume a great deal of energy.

Once you’ve made the decision and established an action plan, you might find the following tips useful:

• Post content which doesn’t relate exclusively to your product, but which also relates to the universe surrounding your product.
• Post content which responds to an Internet user’s question, or which relates to a topic which piques his/her curiosity.
• Post entertaining or humorous content (it must, however, always be appropriate to your company’s industry sector and in line with your company’s other communications).
• Use a more personal, and less corporate, tone in your posts.
• Limit advertising. If your posts are interesting, potential consumers will look into your offering on their own.
• If you use several social media platforms, adapt the message to each one.
• Thank the community when it participates in activities or events related to your products.
• Reply quickly and politely to Internet users who ask you questions.

How do you calculate your ROI with social networks?

There are several ways to measure ROI as regards social networks: the number of likes on Facebook, the number of retweets on Twitter, and the number of views on YouTube, to name a few. Tools such as Google Analytics let you evaluate how many visits to your website will have been generated by some of your activities on social networks.

Again, there’s no secret: you just need to want to invest the time required. As well, keep in mind that social networks generate publicity through word of mouth, and this kind of publicity is always difficult to measure.

However, despite this, for a business which sells online, a well-planned and distinctive presence on social networks is strongly recommended.

This article was originally published on June 19, 2014.