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Social media is the word of the day, no question about that. Websites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have become common household names today. The number of people on these sites is staggering – it’s an enormous potential customer base. Almost 1 billion people are on Facebook, and roughly one-thirds of that number is on Twitter. While these two social media sites are the pinnacles, there are many small, yet very popular platforms like Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and many more. The point is, with such a huge “people base” at your disposal (joining and using all the basic features of these sites are free), how do you go about turning it to your advantage? And what exactly do you use these platforms for? Let us consider the various possibilities social media has. Social media’s role in the world First up, it is very important to remember that social networking sites play a very vital role in today’s society. We can’t stress the word “very” enough. Just the sheer number of users should give you a decent idea about how popular these sites are among users. Add this to the fact that these sites let you advertise stuff on them, and you have one of the easiest ways to achieve social marketing. Consider a simple scenario: Suppose a boy is going through his Facebook newsfeed and notices your advertisement of a company that sells branded shoes at huge discounts online. He will naturally be tempted to check it out, which brings a potential client to your website. Then, if he is interested, he will perhaps go ahead and make a purchase. Or, if he is not interested, he might tell a friend who is looking to buy shoes about it. Personal Word of Mouth Marketing What better way to let people know about your business than personal word of mouth marketing? It not only adds a layer of authenticity (people tend to believe in stuff their friends tell them, rather than strangers), but also gives your business scope for further personal word of mouth marketing, provided your business is as good as your advertisement claims, in which case the client will only be happy to return, or bring new clients. This is one excellent way of using social media as a marketing tool. The second part of the question about how you can use social media to your advantage is that if you can use it to improve your customer service by interacting directly with your customers through social media platforms. This is indeed a very thoughtful question. Consider the most popular way this feature is being put to use – Facebook pages. Almost every business that exists has a Facebook page, and answers questions that users put up on them. (Please note that while we are using Facebook as an example in both cases, counterparts exist in other social media sites.) This again is a very good way to build up your reputation, because if your response time is great and the answers are comprehensive, personal word of mouth marketing about how great your online customer service is will start and results will obviously follow. But this type of customer service may not go down with certain people, who might prefer personal, one-on-one assistance. So the question about whether social medial can be used for marketing or improving customer service is indeed a complicated one. While there is no definite answer for this, the best way to get one would be to test and experiment, and go for what seems to bring the best results for your individual business.
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