The most popular social media

First, let’s review the social media that Internet users most often use. It may be surprising that the most popular medium is not Facebook, but YouTube – it is used by as many as 92.8% of Internet users aged 16-64 (source: Paraphrase-Online.com Digital 2021). Facebook ranks second, followed by Facebook Messenger in the ranking. Then, in order, we have such platforms as:

– Instagram,
– WhatsApp,
– Twitter
– Skype,
– Snapchat,
– TikTok,
– Pinterest,
– LinkedIn.

These social media have much smaller reach than the top three giants, but they are still used by a huge group of network users – from 60 to about 25% of internet users. These numbers go to the imagination, which is why social media marketing is gaining popularity all the time. However, it is important to approach it methodically and with a developed action strategy.

Social media marketing – channel selection

First of all, it is worth realizing that effective marketing does not mean that our brand must be in all available social media channels. Of course, if we have the time and resources, we can invest in activities on various platforms, but it is worth considering how profitable it will be. First, the analysis should cover the habits of our target group. You should consider what types of users are in it and see where they spend the most time. This will help select the social media channels that will work best for a given type of business. Sometimes the choice is quite obvious – it is known that business partners are unlikely to be found on TikTok, and hydraulic services are not an ‘Instagram-like’ industry. However, when conducting an analysis, it is worth following not only your own feelings and experience, but also available statistics from various sources – there is a good chance that this way we will find recipients that we did not have access to before.

After the first screening, it is time to assess whether the budget will allow you to appear in all channels that we found useful. It is also worth considering whether the time will allow us to actively deal with each of them or whether we can afford to entrust the care of social media to an external agency. Obviously, omnichannel and sales support works best wherever our customers are. With the skilful use of various social media and a coherent message, we can count on synergy that will ensure a significant increase in profits. However, if we have a relatively small amount of resources, it is better to focus on fewer platforms. This will keep the quality of your ads and posts high, making your promotion more effective than chaotic activities across channels.

What does effective social media marketing look like?

The essence of effective social media marketing is to get to know the specifics of each of the channels in which we operate. Promotion on the Internet is very different from what can already be called classic – that is, on TV, radio, in the press or on billboards. Its essence is that the recipients do not remain passive, but are in touch with the brand, they can comment on its posts, ask questions, insert reactions or pass the material on to show it to their friends. In addition, we only have a fraction of a second for the interest of the recipient – whether it is an advertisement or a non-promoted post. Users are bombarded with various information on the Internet and only a small percentage of them focus their attention on longer. That is why publications in social media should be primarily:

– eye-catching – it does not mean that we should use a whole rainbow of colors and dozens of emotes. The point is to somehow grab your audience’s attention. You can do it with an interesting composition in a photo, an intriguing slogan or in any other way – the more creative the better. – engaging – in social media it is not enough to show your products or services and wait for applause. It is important to post content that prompts users to act. We can ask our recipients for their opinion, preferences (e.g. the brand’s favorite product), encourage them to respond to posts or organize contests with prizes. Sometimes, in order to interest the recipient, it is enough to show the brand from the backstage: describe how it works or introduce its employees. Such posts generate great commitment and increase brand credibility.
– adaptation to the medium – each social medium has its own specificity. On Instagram, we work almost exclusively with the image, and we build the reach with appropriately selected hashtags. On Facebook, we often link an image or video to the text of a post. LinkedIn is a medium for industry publications, in which the substantive value of the entry is valued. TikTok uses short videos that have nothing to do with polished TV commercials – they are spontaneous, natural, amateurish, but in a positive, relaxed way. If we do not follow the unwritten rules, our communication will be artificial and, as a result, ineffective.
– current – not every entry has to refer to the current situation, but in the posts it is worth referring to the events that society lives, but of course only if they can be associated with the brand’s offer or its business profile. We are talking about permanent elements such as holidays, holidays, the beginning of the school year, Black Friday, sports competitions (Olympics, Euro, etc.), but also about less obvious events. When looking for ideas, you can refer to the calendar of unusual holidays or even information portals. Often a funny politician’s mishap, unusual event or comic photo becomes a breeding ground for internet users and a base for virals. However, when using Real Time Marketing, you need to act really quickly and creatively. Only an immediate and brilliant reaction to the event will be applauded by the Internet community. Late “reheated chops” will only bring you weariness and irritation.
– valuable for the recipient – a common mistake of companies conducting social media marketing is to write about themselves instead of about the user. Often the only solution is to change the narrative. Example? If a cosmetic company boasts that it has created a new hair conditioner, the value of this message for the user will be nonexistent. It is different, however, if it communicates that it has a unique solution for people struggling with hair that is difficult to comb. Then our target group will feel that the given entry applies to them and it is worth taking an interest in it.

Advantages of social media marketing

Marketing in social media has many advantages that a good specialist can skillfully use. They mainly include:

– variety of formats – using social media, we can publish texts, videos, photos, collages, slide shows, create groups, events, add locations, moods and many other elements that enrich the message.
– direct contact with recipients – in social media, like nowhere else, we can build customer relationships with the brand and research their needs. Thanks to them, the recipient has faster, more direct contact with the company than in the case of e-mails or forms.
– the ability to direct traffic to the website – we can post links to the blog, offers or individual products from the assortment, which means that social media can be valuable sources of traffic.
– long range – as we have already written, social media is used by a huge number of people from various age groups. A brand from virtually every industry can find the most appropriate audience for its marketing purposes.
– speed of dissemination of information – if we care about time, social media is an ideal way of communicating messages. There, we can post information about promotions, sales, changes in the offer, as well as unplanned situations, e.g. temporary closure of a restaurant due to a breakdown or a last-minute deadline for a cosmetic procedure that may be taken over by another willing person.
– the possibility of conducting both organic and paid activities – you do not have to pay to run company profiles on social media. So we can build our group of recipients without incurring any costs. However, one should bear in mind the tendency to cut organic reach in social media – as a result, an ordinary post may reach only a small percentage of people who have shown interest in the brand’s profile. However, free activities can be supported with paid advertising campaigns that will reach a very well-chosen target group. After all, who knows more about us than the social media we actively use?
– the possibility of building brand awareness – social media marketing is often used to increase brand recognition, build a narrative around it and inform about the company’s values. Thanks to this, potential customers have a chance to become attached to the brand, which in turn helps ensure their loyalty.

Social media marketing – what should you watch out for?

Social media is a tool that must be used with caution, as the slightest mistake made there can be widely echoed. A badly understood post or advertisement will be widely commented and passed on, which makes the case public and the brand image suffers. The flagship example is a post by a company from a few years ago, which is still a warning to most marketers. The brand published an entry on its fanpage with the question: “What surprised you the most with our company in recent years?” Users began to write massively comments about unpleasant surprises they encountered in the offer and when dealing with consultants. The seemingly innocent post turned into a storm that left scratches on the brand’s image for a long time. Therefore, when handling social media, you need to anticipate potential crises, and in the event of unexpected situations, react quickly and minimize damage.

It should also be noted that social media marketing is a time-consuming activity. It requires not only preparing materials for publication, but also monitoring private comments and messages as well as animating the community, for which high availability is needed. Another downside is that the content posted on social media is more fleeting than anywhere else. Therefore, a large group of people may miss the information posted there, because it will be overlapped with other posts and advertisements. For this reason, it is worth placing important messages not only in social media, but also in other places – for example on your website.

What is causes related marketing?

Cause related marketing (CRM) is a situation when business data meets both the economic goals of an enterprise and responds to certain social problems, trying to communicate and solve them. This is the simplest manifestation of a wider phenomenon called “corporate social responsibility”. Cause related marketing is usually associated strictly with the sales process or, as the name implies, marketing. On the other hand, corporate social responsibility can be present in every aspect of a company’s activity and does not have to be widely communicated. The difference is best illustrated with examples.

Cause related marketing:
– for every $ 20 spent in our store, we donate $ 1 to Foundation X.

Corporate Social Responsibility:
– our company employs 400 drivers. We make sure that they undergo health tests every year and organize cyclical training courses to improve driving techniques.
– our company creates jam. We acquire fruit and vegetables only from local suppliers and support the domestic economy.
– we are a clothes distributor. We acquire our products only to ethical enterprises that respect employee and human rights.

The difference is therefore in the direct connection to the sales process. On the other hand, both things – undertaken by the company responsibly and sensibly – simply pay off. In marketing it’s quite simple – it’s nice to buy something and help. In the second case, e.g. thanks to driver training, the company can “save” on traffic accidents, as well as avert potential image crises associated with such accidents or operational liquidity.

The difference is also in the time horizon of the projects concerned. Cause related marketing can usually be started overnight and turned off just as quickly. Corporate social responsibility is already a long-term process that requires capital and human investment and good planning. Therefore, many companies end up with socially engaged marketing – it is simpler, and at the same time effective because its impact on sales results can be seen immediately.

Advantages of cause related marketing

The benefits of cause related marketing can be divided into three parts. The company benefits, but also the recipient of the product or service, as well as the entity we help – it can be said that all sides of this system benefit.

Benefits for the company:
– a positive image due to association with a third sector organization,
– stimulation of involvement among the company’s community and employees,
– increased consumer loyalty,
– lower level of complaints and returns,
– increase in sales.

Benefits for the consumer:
– help thanks to the purchase slightly “absolves” consumerism itself,
– greater satisfaction with purchases,
– relatively higher satisfaction with the products and services provided.

Cause related marketing – example

Toms – is an American footwear brand, which already at the business design stage assumed that each pair of shoes purchased by the customer results in the transfer of a second pair to countries and communities where it is particularly needed (regions of Africa and Asia, but also South America). A cool idea, which also shows how something apparently obvious to us, is still a scarce commodity in other regions of the world. They are usually not cheap shoes, which did not prevent the brand from achieving success in the highly competitive American market, which was simply mature in the context of the footwear industry. People love TOMS and more often attribute positive qualities to them, such as comfort or durability.

Why is it worth?

It is worth noting that cause related marketing is mainly used by large brands or … startups. As you can easily guess, the motivations for making such a decision vary depending on the size of a given business entity.

Thus, large companies and brands strengthen their brands and customer loyalty. In addition, consumer expectations related to the positive impact of large companies on local communities and the environment in general are growing. We expect more and more often that the company will compensate for its environmental impact, and even that it will provide us with information on this matter. This is a very good trend, because it turns out that it pays off in the long run both to our environment and to the company that made such an effort. Unfortunately, it is difficult to talk about some mass reorientation of thinking here. Large corporations are powerful and uncontrolled ships. They arouse admiration, but before they change course, a lot of time must pass.

The situation is different when the startup immediately decides to get social problems involved in acquiring clients. This is usually because of personal motives and motivations to somehow differentiate their actions from those powerful corporations that feed on consumerism like leeches. Startup is more and more often not only a product or service, but also a rebellion against the current state of affairs.

Credibility cause related marketing

On the internet, of course, whenever someone is in favor, someone who is opposed will also be found. Therefore, even related related marketing has its enthusiasts as well as oppositionists.

From the latter group, there are most often accusations of lack of “pure intentions” for help or cynical use of someone’s misfortune to fuel sales. Of course you can approach it this way. However, it is worth paying attention to the obvious fact that in such a world everyone would lose. Were it not for the company and a given form of assistance, as a consumer we would never have heard about a given problem and the given action would not have seen additional funds. So if you still want to make a purchase – why not do it with someone who offers sales and additionally helps someone?

What is inbound marketing?

Inbound marketing is a strategy aimed at persuading the customer to contact the company on their own. It was created in opposition to traditional methods of promotion – included in the circle of outbound marketing.

Inbound marketing involves:
– building long-term, valuable relationships with the client – those that will result in not one conversion, but many,
– partner, two-way communication – one in which the company really listens to feedback and reacts to it,
– shaping and strengthening the company’s image and building an emotional bond with customers,
– “leading” the client through the sales process in an advisory form – so as to provide him with the necessary information, but not directly persuade him to buy.

This strategy has been the most popular promotion method in recent years, used by both large brands and smaller companies. The place where it is easiest to implement inbound marketing strategies is the Internet.

Inbound marketing vs outbound marketing: what’s the difference?

Before I go over the specific tools from the “inbound” palette, it is worth explaining in detail the differences between traditional promotional communication methods and inbound marketing.

Messages in outbound marketing:
– have a highly persuasive character,
– they are typical advertisements – they can be easily identified among other content (thus they can be “filtered” by recipients, and thus – ignored),
– they are often overly intrusive, which can evoke negative emotions (although this does not have to be the case, as long as the outbound communication strategy is well planned),
– they are less likely to be precisely targeted, which means that they also reach random recipients, which translates into relatively low efficiency.

It is also worth knowing that outbound advertising can carry high costs per pageview / click, because it has to pass through a fairly dense screen before it reaches the customer who is really interested in the offer. For these reasons, modern marketing focuses precisely on building inbound traffic.

In inbound marketing:
– communication is two-way in nature – it is focused not on one-sided message, but on interaction (thus building partner relations and commitment),
– the goal is to build a relationship, not a one-time sale,
– focuses on counseling, not intrusive persuasion,
– messages are personalized and reach well-targeted recipients – thanks to this, they enjoy a better response.

So you could say that inbound marketing puts the customer in the spotlight and realistically adapts to their needs, not just promising to do it.

What does inbound marketing do?

Reaching for inbound marketing tools is not just a temporary fashion. These activities bring very tangible results – in the long term. By using these tools and, in fact, by changing your approach to the client, you can gain a lot.

– Own database of potential, very promising customers
Not the random ones, of which one or two people out of every 100 people will be interested in your offer. One in which there will be consumers with high conversion potential, and therefore in human terms: more willing to make a purchase. Importantly, the list of potential customers builds itself – those interested will leave the data for you, e.g. by subscribing to the newsletter. This is the beginning of a long road that will ultimately lead to a positive transaction closing in many cases.

– Building commitment
How do you make purchasing decisions? Is it only based on “hard data”? What if you have two products with very similar features and price in front of you? How do you choose then? Then even the most hardened “logicians” will reach for emotions, so they will choose a brand that they simply associate better. One that is not indifferent to them. Being focused on interacting with users and encouraging them to take action on their own is like a foot in the door – the commitment invested builds a bond, and thus increases the chances of the final purchase of the product.

– Financial benefits
Inbound marketing strategies bring long-term benefits – also financial. The costs of generating a lead and then converting are much lower than when using outbound techniques. Reason? Much more precisely targeted communication. Since you reach people who, at least initially, are interested in your offer, the chances that they will decide to buy becomes much higher. Simple! In addition, once set in motion, skilfully selected inbound strategies can function almost like a perpetual motion machine, or at least operate and attract new customers for several years.

– Better meeting customer needs
When you reach for inbound marketing, you focus on how to realistically solve your clients’ problems. And since you give them ready-made proposals tailored to what they really want (and not what you think they want!), You can count on positive interest.

In summary, inbound marketing means lower costs, higher effectiveness in reaching customers and long-term effects. In a word: everything you dreamed of!

How to start using inbound marketing?

You already know what exactly inbound marketing is. However, this is just the beginning of the road. Now you have to plan your strategy in this spirit. What tools to use? How to prepare for it?

First things first: in inbound strategies you give the client a sense of control. You give him your responsibility. You just let it find you. You don’t urge. You show possibilities. Only this and so much.

How to implement inbound marketing strategies?

Inbound is based on three main tasks that the marketer has to face – obviously related to the stages of leading the customer through the sales funnel. You use inbound marketing to:
– attract the recipient’s attention – inform them in advance about your presence on the market and show that you are a partner who can be trusted. At this stage, it’s all about building a brand image,
– engage him in interaction – it does not have to be a purchase of the product right away At the beginning, it is enough for him to like your post, write a comment or subscribe to the newsletter. The time for the “harvest” will come later,
– provide a solution to your problems, so you can enjoy your purchase.

Remember: the above levels of commitment also define the relationship with the customer, who from a complete stranger becomes a “friend” (feeling a hint of sympathy for the brand), a friend, customer, and finally a promoter of your company. And this is exactly what it is about to achieve.

What inbound tools can be used on the Internet?

The range of tools suitable for generating incoming traffic is huge – especially in the Internet space. At each of the stages discussed above, you can apply different solutions and media.

Inbound techniques at the stage of attracting the recipient’s attention

Attracting a customer’s attention – especially in a competitive market – can be the biggest challenge. So how do you get attention by doing it in a non-pushy way? The answer is simple: prepare valuable content for the recipient. For that to be the case, you must define in advance who and for what purpose you will be addressing.

In inbound marketing it will not be necessary to clearly define the purpose of the promotion and the meticulous creation of personas. It’s about identifying exactly who your potential customers are. You have to answer questions about their needs, concerns, worries and … how their day is going. How do they use the Internet? Where can you find them?

Once you know this, getting their attention becomes much easier. You will not be blind, and you will appear where they are also. And what specific tools to use?

Content marketing
Create a company blog and publish valuable content on it – the kind that will allow you to find answers to the questions bothering your customers. They cannot be strictly advertising. The more expert and specific the responses you give your audience, the better your impression will be.

Social media marketing
Start promoting yourself on social media. Not all of them, but those that your customers visit. For example, a clothing manufacturer can “win” little by promoting itself on LinkedIn or Twitter, but already on Facebook or Instagram – much more! Remember that promotion through these channels is about building engagement – and therefore about making your posts receive the greatest possible response from “live” users.

SEO
Positioning is the first step to attracting attention to your offer. The higher your page is in the search results for related phrases, the greater the chance that the interested party will find your page and leave a lead.

Classic ads
preferably in the remarketing model – so that they reach people potentially and initially interested in the solutions offered. Thanks to this, you will gain a greater impact on real results.

How to engage customers?

The second step is building commitment. You can also use the tools above, but the ones below are most suitable for bonding and interacting.

Landing page
So “landing page” – a special, short and specific website, the purpose of which is to obtain a lead, i.e. customer contact details. It must be very interactive and offer the recipient an advantage for leaving an email – it could be, for example, a free e-book.

Newsletter
Sent to people who have left their own leads, it is much more effective than communication with recipients from an external, random base. E-mails will remind recipients of your existence and encourage them to click, read an interesting article, and take advantage of the current promotions that you offer.

Chat-bots
Those that appear directly on your website and, for example, on your Facebook fanpage. Their task is to encourage the client to start a conversation – in a simple and easily accessible form. They can automatically answer frequently asked questions or… redirect you to the seller.

Marketing automation tools
This includes intelligent solutions that contact the customer when he has already taken some action. For example: a customer visited the website looking for vacation offers, but at the last moment changed their mind. The system can send the person a question about why this happened or send a message with similar offers.

How to build a positive relationship and satisfaction with cooperation?

Cooperation with the customer in the inbound model does not end with the purchase. This is just the beginning of the road. Therefore, communication with him also continues after the transaction is completed. At this stage, you can use, among others:
– mailing – sending an e-mail with thanks, a discount code for subsequent purchases or a request to evaluate the course of cooperation evokes positive impressions,
– marketing automation – periodic communication with the customer and sending him new offers.

Of course, there are many more tools that can be used for inbound-style communication, and a specific strategy should be developed taking into account the specifics of the company’s operations.

First a good word

First of all, it is worth realizing that March was dramatic only for a few industries, such as catering and hotel industry. Services also started to slow down considerably, but the first two weeks of the month allowed a slight amortization of the financial result for the whole month. However, there were a lot of industries in our online garden, which even soared up and pulled the overall picture hard enough to relatively even the results of all campaigns.

An online business, before it decides to limit or suspend expenses as a result of emotions, should first consider whether it makes sense. In many cases, irrational decisions can result in the forfeiture of earning opportunities. In other cases, there may be opportunities for savings. All this requires deep analysis and embedding it in the entire economic context. Before you make a decision, think over the topic twice and consult the topic with your agency or freelancer.

Offline to Online – who can’t

Undoubtedly, each business should be treated individually. For all companies that cannot move from the Internet for various reasons, we recommend that they create various bricks, vouchers and coupons that can be redeemed at a later time. For now, it is difficult to predict how the situation will unfold, but it is reasonable to assume that in the coming months, there will be less money on the market, and the will to spend them may be less. Therefore, if you are a hairdresser, photographer, selling accommodation or undertaking other activities that need to be postponed, then today start the form of sales “for later”. The later you do this, the less customers will be able to spend money.

In addition, if your business is standing, you can successfully use this time to strengthen your competences in the area of e.g. online advertising. Once the battle dust settles – and it settles down – then the competition will be really fierce. Therefore, it is worth taking care of the tools and additional competences that will pay off later.

Transformation from offline to online – who can

Fortunately, there are plenty of businesses on the market that can at least partially transfer to online. Here are some real-life examples:

A small store in the construction category/house and garden.
This industry is currently doing very well on the internet. If you don’t have an online store, you can try your hand at online auctions with virtually no startup costs. Of course, the competition is powerful there, but you can also use the advertising system. These are internal ads that you only pay for when you switch to your offer. It’s very fair and will allow you to download (with proper design), caloric movement. Of course, online auctions will also charge a commission and you should calculate your sales well, especially taking into account the services that users like. People, taking advantage of the “opportunity” went to small or large renovations in their homes. Thanks to the favorable weather, they also decided to refresh their gardens. Everything – from flower pots to tulip bulbs, is currently selling perfectly.

A small shop from the industry category
There are plenty of stationary and at the same time small industrial chemistry stores as well as individual pieces of given products from heavier categories. Such stores should use their supplier base as soon as possible and lead their activities to the Internet. At Paraphrase-Online.com, we’ve seen a huge increase in product searches and purchases such as glove dispensers, but also power generators and portable freezers. Sale of even several dozen such products will allow you to survive the most difficult time of such small stores.

Gastronomy
Do you currently run a restaurant without customers? Already a lot of such businesses have quickly dealt with this by turning waiters into … drivers. If you do not want to use ready-made applications, you might as well create a simple promotion and post sponsored on Facebook, which informs you about the offer and encourages you to order take-out food. Believe me – if customers like your kitchen, they will successfully use your offer with delivery.

Courses
Like mushrooms after rain, companies that have so far trained only offline have grown up on the Internet. Many freelancers or service providers have joined this trend – even as hairdressers or make-up artists. They can all transfer their knowledge online. The success of this sector is also reflected by the fact that everyone sitting at home is looking for new ideas not only how to survive a difficult time, but also to get out of the intensified situation. It is therefore a great moment to raise your competences, the more that online courses are usually cheaper and often available in the on demand formula, which is when we want to. The same applies to language schools.

From online to … online

It is not, however, that only offline businesses got a slap. There are online stores which, due to their product range, have also seen large declines. In this case, it is worth considering introducing new products that are just selling well and will be somehow related to our business.

Not everyone is eager to see this because of the laboriously built brand. After all, we are building a brand based on given products. Everything depends on how severe the situation is for a given business. Brand is important, but if you are wondering whether your business will survive at all, it may be time for – at least temporarily – the evolution of the product range.

You can find the full article on the topic here.

From detail to general

Above were the specifics. If, after reading the above, you still don’t know what to do next, general tips on how to respond to changes may help you. Remember that they should be treated randomly and only part of them may be justified in your situation.

A. Move from offline to online in various ways – choose the best promotion channel for you and do anything – training in your field, voucher, delivery on the phone or quickly set up an online store.
B. Analyze data – check what sells, capture trends, learn to sew masks if you have no other choice.
C. Copy other solutions that work. Instead of finding innovative and incredibly creative processes, you can use what already works. In the short term, it’s simply worth it.
D. Try to transfer your employees to online.
E. If they are at home anyway and work efficiency decreases, it is worth creating even a mini incentive program in promoting your company or selling products. They can just as well take care of your company’s image. If your employees are at home and cannot do much for the company and its clients, then you can involve them in creating content. They can create content for your blog or website, they can expand existing things, they can respond to opinions about the company in various channels, and they can also temporarily take over your various marketing channels like Facebook, so that your profiles remain active. Here a lot depends on creativity.

We hope that every business will survive this storm and return to the strengthened market. Good luck!