Social media marketing strategies are some of the hottest topics on the internet right now, and for good reason – this form of advertising and brand management is perhaps one of the most effective and rewarding. Without a significant presence on social sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace, Pinterest, and others, it can be extremely difficult to outperform or even compete with rival affiliates in your industry. Social media marketing is a must for every affiliate marketer because it:
Increases Customer Engagement and Improves Correspondence
When someone knows they can reach a representative or administrator within the convenient interface of a social networking site that they already frequently use, they’re much more likely to ask questions, comment on products/services, and make recommendations.
Increased customer engagement leads to a more progressive business overall, and is the ultimate goal of almost any form of advertising, whether it be online or offline. Social media marketing not only encourages people to communicate with your company, it also greatly simplifies and centralizes the process of doing so.
Spreads Brand Awareness
As far as achieving brand awareness goes, nothing can beat a social media campaign. Unlike many other forms of online/offline advertising, social marketing offers proactive and aggressive outreach. Think about it – people are not constantly flipping through their phonebooks, staring at billboards, paying close attention to television commercials, picking up business cards, or remembering ads they hear on the radio, but they ARE checking their social profiles/accounts at least several times throughout the week.
Furthermore, social advertising takes advantage of the holy grail of marketing – word of mouth – by creating positive, interactive exposure on an ongoing basis.
Helps You Build Your Mailing List
Perhaps one of the best things about social networks like Facebook and Twitter is that they can help every affiliate marketer build up their mailing list. In fact, famous brands like GAP, Starbucks and Coca Cola have been taking advantage of this aspect of social marketing for years! You’ll notice that these brands often launch contests, giveaways and promotions, in which people have to Like the page but also enter their name and email in order to be eligible. Large brands were able to get millions of Likes and emails using this technique!
Enhances Market Research Efforts
By giving you access to the opinions, concerns, and requests of your target audience, social media marketing drastically simplifies and enhances market research efforts. With such abundant consumer-driven insight you’ll have the power to make adjustments to your advertising material and modify your offerings to achieve a higher customer satisfaction rate.
There is no better way to collect crucial trend-related data than to monitor and participate in social networks. Simply put, when you know what your customers and prospects truly want you can accommodate their needs and preferences much more effectively.
Leads to Increased Sales and Interest
Social media marketing is the fastest way to build consumer trust and awareness, both of which lead to greater interest in your products/services, and ultimately, higher sales and conversion rates.
Most social networks utilize a feed-based system in which people can view comments from their friends/followers as they’re posted in real-time. Nothing facilitates heightened interest better than the ability to inject subtle promotions or opinion requests into a wall of social posts made by a person’s friends and family.
In conclusion, social media marketing is must for every affiliate marketer because it provides unparalleled exposure, a potentially enormous ROI, improved customer relations, and as a result of all of these things, higher sales volume.
Martin Schneider is a social media marketing guru who currently blogs for IronMonk, a renowned New York-based SEM agency with over 10 years of experience in the industry.
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