It’s no longer enough to engage with customers via social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. What’s important now is finding ways to engage with them on the go. With the large majority of social media users accessing these sites from their smartphones and tablets, standard desktop strategies may be a waste of time. You need to find ways to leverage their affinity towards mobile devices and discover new methods for effective engagement.
Understanding the User
Before discussing the mobile aspect of social media, it’s important for businesses to first start with the user. At the heart of topic is the social media user, and your ability to understand who he or she is will guide you through the process, and allow you to capitalize on the mobile segment.
Research published in the authoritative white paper From Social to Sale: 8 Questions to Ask your Customers points out there are three basic ‘tribes’ of social media users. While the names are arbitrary, the characteristics remain the same across the board. All social media users fall into one of these three tribes:
Thinkers. This is the group that uses social media when contemplating a purchase, “but have not actively begun the research process.” These are the laid-back users and most hesitant to act, out of the three tribes. They will share purchases they are considering and usually need a nudge to make a final decision.
Questers. This group likes to share items they are in the process of actively researching. They have pretty much decided on a purchase, but are good at disseminating information to thinkers and leapers.
Leapers. This is the impulsive group. Leapers are easily inspired by other social users and quickly make purchases without much thought. They are the easiest to convince and represent new sales for retailers.
Every market segment will behave differently and each social channel is proportionally different, but thinkers generally make up between 49 and 70 percent of users, questers between 21 and 24 percent of users, and leapers between 9 and 29 percent of users. Interestingly, thinkers tend to gravitate towards Twitter, questers towards Facebook, and leapers towards Pinterest.
Capitalizing on Mobile
As a marketer looking to engage with users, the biggest opportunities lie in reaching thinkers and leapers. In 2015 and beyond, this means reaching them on their mobile devices.
According to a recent report from BI Intelligence, 60 percent or more of all social media time is spent on smartphones and tablets. As smartphone display sizes continue to increase, that number is expected to grow exponentially. Now is the time to learn how to effectively engage with mobile thinkers and leapers. To maximize your profitability, let’s take a look at some of the things you can begin working on today.
Optimize Your Facebook Page
Facebook is the king of social media, in terms of engagement and advertising. Naturally, this makes it the best place to start your mobile optimization strategy. Facebook has a responsive design built in, but that doesn’t mean it will handle everything for you. You still need to pay attention to what you post and how you structure your content.
The best thing is to familiarize yourself with how the timeline functions on mobile devices. You can’t properly implement these tips unless you know how things operate. As you’ll quickly notice, Facebook’s timeline design is conducive to swiping and scrolling, but doesn’t give you unlimited space to work with. While Twitter is the platform that limits what you say to 160 characters or less, Facebook will still abbreviate what you post. As a rule of thumb, if you can’t say something in 150-200 characters, it’s probably not worth posting.
Until you become an expert at using Facebook for mobile devices, always check for compatibility after posting or before launching a new campaign. This quick check could save you a lot of embarrassment and will ensure you reach optimal engagement.
Take Advantage of Location-Based Features
One of the biggest benefits of working with mobile users is that you have the capability to tailor information and content based on their location. While Foursquare hasn’t taken off quite as well as some of the other major social media platforms, it’s still a valuable tool for marketers. Using their hyper-targeted ad system, you can serve specific ads based on where the user is. For example, if a social user is two blocks away from your coffee shop, you could serve an ad for a new drink special you’re having.
Eliminate Repetition and Message Fatigue
Marketers refer to repetitive, standardized posts across all social media platforms as message fatigue. Because users generally follow the same brands across multiple platforms, your decision to post the same message on each can be harmful. Instead, take the extra time to tailor each post to a specific platform. Not only will you become less repetitive, but followers will find your posts more engaging.
Utilize Video Capabilities
Video marketing is exploding within social networking. From YouTube and Instagram to Vimeo and Vine, it seems like every social media site is tapping into video marketing. While this is arguably the most expensive aspect of social media marketing, it can bring the highest returns. If you choose to pursue video capabilities, ensure you’re taking the time to produce quality content. It’s better to avoid it altogether than fall flat.
Claim Your Digital Turf
Studies suggest that 81 percent of tablet owners and 79 percent of mobile phone owners use their devices to conduct local searches. Take advantage of this opportunity by creating your Google+ page and filling out all contact information.
Start Engaging
All signs are pointing towards mobile as the next major marketing opportunity for businesses. While there is much to be learned, now and in the future, one things is clear: social engagement starts with mobile devices.
from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1zWW5ar via small business marketing company
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/16qFH5U
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