The primary reason some ad campaigns have been so successful is they were placed where consumers could see them. Social media is quickly becoming the most effective tool for reaching consumers where they spend their time. For example, Facebook users average 1400 minutes per month. This is about 46 minutes per day, which equates to about 5% of a person’s waking hours. With over 900 million users, a Facebook ad has the potential to reach one in eight people in the world.

When compared to traditional venues such as television and radio ads, social marketing offers some unique advantages.

• Establish a relationship with your customers and create a network for your company.
• Consumers may join your network now and buy your product later.
• Design targeted campaigns for specific audiences.
• Create interactive ads which invite users to visit your company website, blog or other social media profiles. Increased interaction with your brand increases conversion and loyalty.
• Engage consumers to increase brand awareness.
• Consumers can advertise for you by sharing, liking and tweeting.
• When combined with an analytics service such as cloud marketing, you can receive real-time feedback on what is working and what is not and fine tune your campaign.

Engage Your Audience

In the 1990’s, the banner ad was introduced to digital marketing. They were successful in their day but have now become the radio or television ad of the internet. Consumers can simply “mute” banners and side bars and focus their attention on the content that interests them. That is why the future of advertising lies in engaging the audience.

Engaging content can take many forms including blog posts, articles, videos, photos, contests and giveaways. Here are some items to consider when creating content for social media:

• Consumers want to know details about the products. Some marketing cloud services include website management tools which will help you create an interactive experience for the customer including zooming in to see detail, changing views of the product or changing colors.
• Know who your target market is and what they want to hear. Customize your message for each social network where you advertise. Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Twitter have unique ecosystems and serve unique purposes for their communities.
• Again, analytics will be useful in obtaining data about the success rates of each initiative so you can effectively target your potential customers. Consider using a cloud marketing service to help you invest in the right advertising opportunities.

Creating Positive Brand Associations

Social network marketing has changed the advertising world. In the past, advertising was a one-way communication where the business told the consumer their product was the best. With social media, advertising now has as much to do with what the consumer says as what the business says. There is constant conversation between consumers about brands. This can be free advertising for the business if the consumer has positive brand associations. Consider some of these ideas for your next marketing campaign:

• Photos and videos of company events can give a face to your business and help consumers connect with your brand. Social media marketing is about creating a relationship with your customers.
• How-to videos are another simple way to increase brand awareness. Useful information is a form of engaging content and increased interactions with your brand will increase conversion.
• Contests, giveaways, and discounts are great ways to get consumers talking about your brand on social networks. Everyone loves free stuff and good deals, and they share them with their friends.

Keep it Simple

You can start simple. Creating a Facebook profile for your business is free and is an excellent starting point. After becoming a fan of a company’s Facebook page, 50% of consumers say they are more likely to buy the company’s products and 56% say they are more likely to recommend the brand to their friends. Make some friends on Facebook today and they will be your loyal customers later.

Featured images:

•  Image courtesy of Cheap photo stock

This article was written by Jared Jaureguy. Follow him on Twitter @JaredJaureguy.