In the past, most brands relied on advertising to promote their brand. It was all about making sure that people recall you when they see your ad on TV or hear about it over the radio. The more that people hear or see your ad, the more likely they are to buy your products and services.
Times have changed, however, and people arent as easy to convince as they were before. Also, the competition among brands has become fierce, since many similar products and services have become available on the market. Whether youre a personal or a small business brand, you really have to do your part in standing out from among the crowd to ensure that youre noticed, so that people will buy from you. Advertisements dont work well anymore what works nowadays is social or word-of-mouth marketing.
The success of your brand now relies on how effectively you socialize and engage with your customers and audience. You need to build a relationship with them, and not simply consider them as random people you need to convince to buy from you.
This is the reason why brands have invaded social media. Since this is where most people are whiling away their time, its become essential for brands to connect with their audience using these platforms.
Of course, its easy for brands to create a website or a blog, to get a Facebook or Twitter account, and to start creating boards on Pinterest. But the challenge lies on how to connect and build a relationship with your audience within these platforms.
Here are some tips to help you:
1. Update regularly
Nothings worse than an abandoned blog or an abandoned Facebook page. If you dont plan on posting at least once a week, then you may need to reconsider your social marketing strategy. People need regular content from you in order to interact and engage with your brand. So make sure that you regularly update your blog and other social media accounts, so you can continue to have a good number of followers and readers.
2. Respond to your audience
Interaction needs to be a two-way street, so its essential that you respond to your audience whenever they comment or make suggestions in your blog or your other social media accounts. When you respond to peoples comments, they will feel appreciated and validated. You can also pay special attention to people who comment and interact frequently with you, since these people are typically loyal to your brand and can easily become your brand advocates.
Its a good idea to monitor mentions of your brands keywords so that you can respond to them. You can easily set up Google Alerts or do a search on Twitter to see whos mentioning you. This helps you interact with people who have questions, comments or suggestions regarding your products or services.
You can also comment on your audiences blogs. People typically leave their URLs whenever they comment, so its very easy to simply click the link and leave a reply on their page.
3. Follow your audience back
Your audience will be flattered if you follow them back. So discover their other social media accounts and follow them on Twitter or even on Pinterest. This helps you connect and interact with them, since no one wants communication to be a one-way street.
4. Ask an open-ended question
A great way to interact with your audience socially is to ask an open-ended question thats related to your brand. This helps create buzz and conversation around your brand, and also helps you learn about what your audience wants and what they think of your brand.
5. Create a poll
Many people enjoy answering polls, and these polls help you gain insights regarding the products and services youre offering. Once the poll results are in, make sure to talk about the results to create conversation and buzz about your brand.
There are so many ways for brands to connect with their audience. Advertisements may continue to bombard people every day, but right now, its the people who choose to interact with a brand or not. So to succeed in this world, it is essential for your brand to be socially interactive.
Dont focus on selling your products or services. Instead, focus on building a great relationship with your audience. The more they get to know you and the more you interact with each other, the more willing they will be to avail of what youre offering.
When you become better at word-of-mouth marketing, your brand can really become successful.
