Learning

A successful marketing strategy requires companies to know their consumer and understand their behavior to reach them when the moment is right. Social media allows you to learn what your customers are looking for and when. Consumers are discussing brands, companies, and user experience every day on social media. Think about it, when was the last time you tweeted your cable provider about an issue? Or tagged your favorite restaurant on Instagram? Those insights are at your fingertips, and you can use them to meet your goals and ultimately improve your business.

These platforms allow businesses the chance to find their specific market, shape their brand based on what potential customers are looking for, and in turn create consumer loyalty. You can accomplish this by providing shareable and engaging content, photos and videos are great examples, and interacting with your followers. Be conversational and return feedback when a client has a question, comment, or concern. Did you know 89 percent of messages sent to brands via social media go unanswered? A timely response can go a long way in the eyes of a consumer. Another thought to keep in mind is how to leverage trends. Find out what people are talking about and begin to shape your content to remain relevant.

Chances are if your company is using social media so are your competitors. Keep a close eye on them to see how they promote themselves and what content they are posting. Knowing your competition can help you find a way to be different, better, and more interactive.

If you don’t have a full digital marketing strategy developed, don’t freak out. Social media presence is a good place to start. Evaluate your business goals and determine which platforms make sense for you to be on. Keep them up to date and always relevant to what is happening in your industry.

Toolbox Studios tracks the latest trends in Marketing, including Social Media. Recently, a major shift was announced that impacts Facebook Business Pages.

The following are excerpts from Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook announcement on January 11, 2018:

“We built Facebook to help people stay connected and bring us closer together with the people that matter to us. That’s why we’ve always put friends and family at the core of the experience.  But recently we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other.

 Based on this, we’re making a major change to how we build Facebook. I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions. As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard — it should encourage meaningful interactions between people”.

What does this mean for your Facebook Page?

Essentially it means quality over quantity wins. Posts that create engagement – comments and shares – will rank better than those with only “Likes.”

At Toolbox Studios, we see this as an opportunity to elevate your content in order to inspire meaningful conversation. It’s a perfect time to re-assess your message, listen to your audience base, and create content that is engaging. This means your content calendar becomes even more crucial than before. Lastly, the changes provide an educational opportunity to guide your followers through their “See First in News Feed” preferences.

Contact us if you need help with it.

In digital marketing, one question is often asked and debated: What’s the best strategy for placing ads online, Facebook or Google? Both have pros and cons. When looking at posting ads, determine your goals first. Are you trying to increase conversions or boost brand awareness? Who are you trying to reach? What’s your budget? Or if using both, which should you use more? Ad buying can be a tricky process but, when done correctly, it can grow your business exponentially.

Facebook ads may be the most versatile advertising platform of the two. They continue to be effective on improving brand awareness, engagement, as well as promoting events. Facebook ads are cheaper too, costing $0.28 per click on average in comparison to Google ads which run for $2.32 per click on average. The interesting thing about Facebook ads is that you rely completely on a person’s impulse to become a potential lead or customer.

To ensure your best chances for turnover, the ad should be visually appealing. A person doesn’t normally go on Facebook as a consumer but rather as a visitor not looking to shop on social media. But Facebook has a certain trick up its sleeve: they allow the person placing ads to find and reach a very specific demographic by allotting them more detailed information about who is going to see the ad. Demographics like age, gender, marital status, location, interests, and education can all give very insightful information.

Google ads are also effective. They may cost more, but Google is fifteen times more effective with conversions relative to cost than Facebook. Google ads are more successful with increasing sales and leads. The downside is that they only work when users search for a service or product that utilizes the same keywords as your business. Google ads are a good way to target users looking to make a purchase.

So, of the two, which one is superior? Both can be used in your advertising strategy. Although both have good and bad attributes, at the end of the day if you have the money to do both, you should. The key is to find the happy medium between recognition and conversion. Find your consumer and give them what they want to see. When planning your strategy, assume you will use both platforms to advertise, and focus on what the data tells you what the consumer wants. It isn’t always crucial to find the right platform. Concentrate on finding the right imagery and message that will drive your audience to conversion.