Dragan MestrovicThe Social Media marketing return on investment is a major factor why businesses choose to step into social media marketing and the two communications here.
Social media has proved in the past years that it can bring positive ROI when done right. Some successful examples are Intrepid Travel, Easy Lunch Boxes, SnapRetail just only to name some of them.
As businesses understand that social media is no short term sprint than more something like a marathon they engage with more diligence to plan their steps to reach a long term ROI.
Successful brands look at social media engagement as a plant which needs to be cultivated over the time to grow to an unlimited range.
BzzAgent has discovered that about 61% of brand advocates would buy products up to one year after social media campaign has expired. This proves that social media marketing and two way communication lasts longer than ordinary one marketing blasts from yesteryear.
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This does not mean that social media has become a “push the button cash machine”. Not every campaign will be successful. But like everything on the planet the volume of activities and their step by step improvement ensures a growing success.
This does not mean that brands should fire one campaign behind another. This means that a brand should carefully listen to its audience. When they listen carefully their audience will tell them which campaign could be appreciated to become a possible success story.
In the mean time a human and authentic communication should be the priority.
A good way to start a smart dialogue is to ask open questions. To ask the audience about their opinion about services and products will open discussions where a brand get the opportunity to respond in a professional, authentic and human way.
No matter if there are critics or praise. Every feedback is a chance to showcase the brands standpoint and get in touch with the recent or future customer.
Brands that listen to their audience and improve products and services to fit their audience’s needs are one step from that to be the long term winners. The growing trend for custom products proves this. The one size fits all strategy does not work anymore this is for sure!
Any business can use social media as a source of unfiltered information and as powerful business intelligence tool to predict trends, for support and product development.
The others who do not will be left behind, and they deserve to vanish because they do not care a shi* about their audience and never have. Social media also points this out and separates the good from the bad once.
In this new world the customer B2C and B2B wins and the brands who care. And that’s good!
Infographic: B2B Social Media Marketing
This article originally appeared on Inbound Marketing Agency and has been republished with permission.
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Dragan! Thanks for including my EasyLunchboxes as an example of successful social media marketing! I am constantly amazed at the support of the community I hang out with. (Maybe that’s why it works. I don’t really think of it as marketing. I really do think of it more like hanging with friends :)
@Kelly
It’s my pleasure. And you are right and it is working only without thinking on the marketing aspect.
The audience decides if they like you and if they like you thy buy from you, as simple as that. Keep on your great work. ;)
I believe that social media marketing is not really about ‘marketing’ and it’s often a misnomer. Social media is an opportunity for you to view your brand in your customers’ perspective and like what you wrote here: “..a brand should carefully listen to its audience.” Love the infographic, by the way, and thanks for sharing it!
@Aaron
Yeah, it’s all about communication like in real life. And to communicate it is necessary to listen and learn. Thanks for your thoughts. :)