Jim Mugford
Marketing and Industry Awareness Committee Member
Sulzer Electro Mechanical Services
Effective marketing engages customers! It is how customers find out about a company’s products and services and plays a key role in building stronger customer relationships by creating messages that hold value. Today’s marketers have learned to work with digital technology to communicate with customers on a deeper level compared with traditional methods. Of the new technologies available today, social media is particularly effective because of its ability to facilitate two-way communication between a company and its target audience.
Many people might be hesitant to use social media for business as it is often viewed as being for personal use only. I would argue in a business-to-business setting the ability to tell your story and develop a connection directly with individual customers is incredibly powerful. Most companies have many stories to tell and when they’re told well using social media, they can create a human connection that really grabs people’s attention.
Social Media Channel
Companies have many options available to them when it comes to posting content. Some of the more popular social media options are:
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a large social platform that lends itself to marketing, especially for B2B businesses. It is often used to help potential customers and job candidates learn about a company and its brand, products and services. Additionally, it is a social network that focuses on professional networking and career development.
- Twitter: Twitter is an online news and social networking site where people communicate in short messages. Some companies use Twitter as a marketing or public relations channel and will post about corporate accomplishments, events and news.
- YouTube: YouTube is an online video sharing and social media platform. Posted YouTube videos are often used to build and enhance a company’s reputation as being a subject matter expert.
- Instagram: Instagram is a popular photo-sharing app. Compared with other social networks, Instagram is relatively simple as its focus is mainly on sharing photos and videos. Companies often use Instagram to post about news and events.
- Facebook: Facebook is a social networking platform that facilitates interaction between people. It is often considered to be a personal social network, but companies are increasingly using it to post news and events, as well as for sales activities.
Content and the Power of Storytelling
Content is only limited by your imagination. Typically, content is developed to raise awareness of the company brand, product or service. Content can be developed to educate customers about solutions and technology available to them to solve problems. Many organizations post about new acquisitions or facility “grand openings.” Case studies, project stories, and stories about people in the business often generate real interest and garner a lot of attention.
The success of a social media campaign is directly related to the strength of content produced. When developing content, it’s important to understand the power of storytelling. People are substantially more motivated by an organization’s purpose and how it improves lives as opposed to how it sells goods and services. And purpose is effectively communicated through stories. For example, if you can make your audience empathize with a challenge a customer experienced, they will also feel the pleasure of its successful resolution.
When you’re developing your company’s marketing plans, remember to harness the power of social media to effectively tell your story and drive business results.
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