Social Media Marketing is getting all of the buzz in the business and marketing world. We all share a plethora of industry content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as well as 100’s of other social media sites.

The goal here is to share a post on your business page, it gains momentum with comments, likes, shares and points visitors towards your company’s website.
Once you gain a website visitor…POOF…there are tools available to turn them into a customer, right?

Not exactly.

A visitor to your website is delicate like chicken broth or liquid gold and we need to mold that visitor into a potential client.

But there are other ways to bring in clients. Social Media is only a piece of the Marketing pie.

For a marketing plan to work properly, a company’s concentration should not rely on social media alone. There are several aspects involved in converting customers.

Website’s landing page(s).
Once I land on your business’ home page, is there an opportunity for me to easily signup for your newsletter? Is your contact information front and center? Do you have testimonials for me to view with satisfied clients exclaiming their love for your product or service?
The purpose of getting a visitor to your website is to ‘catch them while you can’!   Think about the tools you may use to gather information and turn a cold prospect site visitor into a warmer potential customer.

Community Outreach
Why not join a networking group, speak at a local business association or become known as the ‘leader in your field’ at your religious institution?

There are many outlets to find a niche in your industry to fill. Teaching an evening class at the local community college or speaking at a senior center are various ways to get the word out about your area of expertise and your business. What a great way to make connections offline!

Sales
Selling is all about numbers.  Yes, it takes experience too, however, if you are not making sales calls, your sales will plummet. Period.

Is your business filling the sales funnel each and every day? What kind of follow up is taking place after prospective client meetings? What are you doing beyond your competition which makes your product or service stand out? Are you meeting with decision makers? Are you getting referrals from existing customers? Work the sales team to keep that piece of the marketing pie as active as possible.

Publicity
When your company receives awards, presents or attends community events or an employee receives accolades for a personal triumph, utilize local news sources to help get your company’s name out there in print and online. Reach out to individual reporters or editors as well as regional news affiliates. Write an industry-related article or blog to post on LinkedIn or within LinkedIn groups. When your business is published throughout the year consistently, warm prospects take notice.
Ongoing publicity is a powerful tool to use when marketing your business.

Word-Of-Mouth Referrals
Sales is all about the ask and the ask doesn’t end when the sale is closed. Once you have a happy customer, ask for referrals, testimonials and reviews. Referrals are the best and most cost-effective way to acquire a new client. Testimonials on your website and on social media outlets help your business showcase it’s reliable customer service. And reviews on Google+ and Facebook are a potent approach to continuing your word-of-mouth marketing momentum.

The bottom line:
Social media, without any sales, publicity, outreach or referrals, is not meant to stand alone as a marketing plan.  Businesses still need to work the  basics when it comes to implementing a comprehensive marketing strategy.

 

Cheryl Friedenberg, President, High Key Impact, LLC
cheryl@highkeyimpact.com
www.Highkeyimpact.com