Social networks have become allies for any business, even for local businesses: it allows them to broadcast their own messages apart from traditional advertising, interact with users and find out their tastes. The networks can be an invitation for potential customers to visit the website or to come to the store, which, in the long run, will serve to boost sales.
Where to start in the world of social networks
To have a presence on social networks, you need a professional profile. This type of account offers the same options as private accounts, such as posting messages, taking photos, making videos, conducting surveys, or knowing the activity through graphics, in addition to other exclusive features such as the management and analysis of the traffic data generated by the publications.
The most popular networks are Facebook and YouTube — although it is a video platform, it allows interaction between users—Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, according to Statista data. So it is convenient to start with one of them. According to the 2021 Social Network Study report, published by the world association for communication, advertising, and digital marketing IAB Spain, Instagram is the main channel used by users to search for information before buying a product, followed by YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
A specialist in digital communication at the consultancy firm believes that it is not necessary to be on all the networks, to begin with. “My advice is to start with one, strengthen your presence and, later, work on others,” explains this expert who will lead your company’s 2022 Social Media Trends webinar.
Therefore, the entrepreneur has to determine which social network is best suited to his business. The visual options of Instagram and TikTok allow you to focus on the image, while on Facebook and Twitter, there is more versatility to combine text with images, videos, and links. A specialist indicates that to appeal to the young consumer, TikTok and Instagram are important and that Facebook, in which the public is of all ages, requires greater proximity to current events and more frequent publications. The network for professionals, posts related to advice, and training work well on LinkedIn.
WhatsApp is making its way as an accessible sales channel for any SME, especially since it does not require any additional investment. In Latin America, according to a digital marketing consultant, many small stores use it to talk with their customers. In this way, they know their needs first-hand, attend to claims and increase loyalty with more than a daily tool for any user. “WhatsApp statuses are also very useful. There the product to be promoted is described and supported by the photo. Users see it right away and come in to order it right away if they’re interested,” she adds.
Once the network is chosen, upload content
The usual way of disseminating content on social networks is through a post, which is a publication that combines text with images or videos to which links can be added to direct users to the website or online store. This is how Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter work.
Instagram also offers the option of creating stories, which are images or videos of a few seconds that are shared with followers for 24 hours and that can also appear simultaneously on Facebook. They are useful for offering recent information, such as offers, and redirecting traffic to the web, as they allow links to be inserted. TikTok has a similar format.
The more interest these contents arouse in public, the more likely they will be shared and reach other users who do not follow the business account. This is what is known as organic growth. Many companies choose to use their profiles to share useful information with their followers.
For example, a bakery that offers advice on pastries or a beauty center that publishes recommendations on skincare. Also, including wit and humor in posts can help make them go viral. That is, they spread quickly through the network.
A push through advertising and ‘influencers’
The reach of posts can be boosted through ads. Each platform has its own strategies, but the most common is that the network recommends the posts of the company’s account to users who do not follow it and who might be interested in the products and services it sells.
In addition to adapting to all budgets, the networks usually give the option of choosing the public (called target ) to which the advertising action is to be directed. In this way, a territory can establish strategies, something very valuable for SMEs whose main audience is local.
Influencers also help boost sales through social media. These users function as prescribers because they have many followers on their profiles over whom they exert some influence. You can contact them through their own networks or influencer marketing agencies and negotiate an agreement to hire them. Resorting to a service of this type also allows you to segment actions by specific areas.
Next step: listen and analyze what is said in networks
Taking care of the image in social networks is essential. Much of the reputation is played on this ground. And this requires actively listening to what users are saying about the business. A pro gives an example: “If a bad review or negative comment goes viral, sales drop almost instantly. Knowing what is being said about the brand makes it possible to anticipate a crisis and limit its impact”.
This listening also offers advantages directly related to sales. For example, if the company detects a new trend, it will have more options to introduce products and services associated with this context before its competitors.
The easiest option is manual searches using the keywords that define the business or hashtags. Thus, the company discovers first-hand what conversations they have about it, which will allow it to adjust the messages it launches. The main problem is that it is time-consuming and probably not covered enough.
Enlist the help of technology (and a professional)
Programs have been created that manage this. They sweep social networks using algorithms and artificial intelligence to detect mentions and relevant conversations and then generate a report. Alert is one of the most affordable, according to experts. But there are others such as Digimind, Hootsuite, or Brandwatch, which effectively detect trends in user conversations.
