Social media has become a great marketing tactic over the past few years—and for good reason. According to a 2013 study, one in four people use social media, which makes it a great way to reach a large group of people.
When most people think about social media marketing, they tend to only think about having a Twitter or Facebook account for their business. But social media marketing encompasses so much more than that. New technologies and new tactics are constantly being invented and deployed to help market your business, and the following are just a few of the latest technologies and tactics for social media marketing.
Use micro videos.
Videos have been a popular social media marketing tactic for years, with businesses creating videos and posting them on YouTube for their customers to see. Some companies create commercials and post them to YouTube, while others show how-to videos for their products. But every day, the world seems to be getting faster and faster, and people are finding less and less time to watch the three-minute videos that companies are creating. Enter micro videos.
Micro videos take videos to the extreme by creating shorter videos (think 30 seconds or less) to promote their products or services. Tools like Twitter Vine have made microvideos more popular over the past few years, and companies are starting to utilize this tool to better reach their audience.
Use proximity marketing.
People are using social media everywhere they go, not just in the comfort of their own homes. Your company can use this to your advantage through the use of proximity marketing. With proximity marketing, you provide your customers with access to WiFi while in your establishment. Instead of needing a special username and password, you allow your customers to access this WiFi by logging in through their own social media accounts. While logged in, you can then send special information directly to these customers while they’re in the store. You can share special promotions about items in the aisles they’re currently in, or you can promote a certain event that you will be hosting in the near future. This can be a great way to customize promotions toward individuals that are in your establishment.
It’s all about the images.
Although content is usually king, images have become a strong force when it comes to social media marketing. Social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram that focus solely on images are becoming a great way to reach your audience. With Pinterest, you can link an image of a product or service back to your website, which can help you drive traffic to your site. Plus, because customers are able to re-pin your item, they’ll be advocating for your company as well, which increases your social media marketing effort.
Instagram is another great way to reach your customers. Post images that will interest your customers, such as images of your products or services, as well as images of behind-the-scene events at your corporate headquarters. By being real and sharing real items with customers via Instagram instead of constantly opting for the “sales pitch” images, you’ll greatly increase your followers.