What makes businesses successful? It’s a combination of factors, of course, but online marketing plays the first violin. In fact, about 80% of international companies that follow the trends have teams whose main task is social media marketing, and this number is increasing from year to year. This means only one thing – companies now acknowledge the power of Internet marketing. Therefore, integrating a social media strategy into your marketing campaign is vital.
However, more than 80% of customers claim that they have poor experiences with social media marketing and brand communication. A well-planned social media campaign can be very beneficial for your business, so how do you maximize your campaign? To find the answer to that, you have to set clear and measurable goals. This requires thorough analysis and planning and such knowledge can be obtained on our social media marketing course. Implementing your social media marketing plan is a necessary step on your way to prosperity and expanding your business in the UAE.
The list of the most widely used social media includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. It doesn’t matter if your company in Dubai or some other place has just launched or if you already have great experience in the area; social media marketing will work for you when used correctly.
The first thing you have to decide is which platform to focus on. Using all of them is pointless as to be successful you have to know which of the networks is preferred by your typical customer most of the time. Please remember one thing – no matter what you do, your approach has to be customer-oriented.
How can you approach a customer on social media correctly? Many companies put too much emphasis on the products they manufacture instead of paying enough attention to their customers. This influences the whole process, as well as customer and employee attitudes. However, if you are interested in long-term success, customers should remain the biggest pillar you focus on. How will this shift influence your business? It will most certainly make all the operations quicker and smoother. Moreover, it will lead to the extension of your client base.
In fact, the best social media campaigns are customer-oriented. As soon as you introduce this approach, every strategy you implement should be in accordance with it. Now, when we say “customer-centric”, what do we really mean? It means you should try to look at things from the customers’ perspective and strive to satisfy their needs, expectations and requirements. Competition is everywhere; there is probably no niche where you’d have no rivals. Excellent customer service is a necessity. It puts clients at the centre of your marketing strategies. Customer focus implies concentrating on your clients at all stages of the manufacturing and delivery process.
The implementation of customer centricity is closely bound with one important statement – the needs of your customer are actually your company’s needs. They are one and the same. Modern customers are picky as they are accustomed to being offered a wide range of choice. Therefore, a “one size fits all” strategy will never work under modern conditions. Make your business offers personalized and customized. This approach gives you a great opportunity to connect with the client. Being customer-oriented means building rapport. In turn, building rapport translates into higher revenue.
A good social media campaign leads to customer retention. Remember – if you don’t improve your customer service, your competitors will outrun you. The sad truth of contemporary business is that the majority of the companies which claim to be customer-centric in reality are not. In fact, four out of five such companies are not as committed to their customers and their needs as they say. You are a customer yourself, right? Just think of your own experiences – how many times have you been served really well?
Your actions have to be in accordance with your mission statement. If you say one thing and do another, your customers will become frustrated. Do what has been promised and do it consistently. The entire organization has to be aware of this requirement. Customer-centric strategies will work only when your efforts match your concept. There are numerous customer-centric companies throughout the world that have already experienced the positive impact of this approach.
However, in order to be really successful, it is not sufficient to simply develop an excellent social media marketing strategy and declare that you put your customers at the core of everything. You have to do your best to really meet the requirements and needs of your clients. A customer-centric approach is an integral part of online marketing. As a matter of fact, newly-created media platforms are designed especially for the implementation of customer-centric strategies. Let’s have a look at some specific examples. Below is a list of companies which have successfully introduced this approach.
1) Dacia
Established as a Renault subsidiary, Dacia is a Romanian car manufacturer. Nowadays, it is the fifth biggest car manufacturing brand in Europe and one of the most rapidly growing enterprises in the industry. The company implemented its social media strategy with the help of Facebook. The main marketing goal of Dacia is generating more leads and raising brand awareness. The company’s reps used Facebook exactly for this purpose.
What did Dacia do in order to reach its online marketing goals? It boosted posts and placed advertisements while keeping its focus on both desktop and mobile users. It performed a wide range of ad testing. It optimized advertisements and their impact. It investigated the buying cycle. It used its social media campaign ideas to promote its products. In the long run, all of these tactics turned out to be very successful. Some of the figures related to this social media strategy look very promising:
- Costs per lead were reduced by 45%;
- Ad recall increased by more than a quarter;
- Buying intent, as well as brand favorability, grew.
Facebook ad campaigns are a great tool for online marketing. They can be really helpful when used properly. Communication in your newsfeed and the ability to answer messages instantly will have a very beneficial effect on your business. Just have a look at the results achieved by Dacia. If you’re looking for a cost-efficient method and a good way to drive leads, this is the right solution for you.
2) Red Bull
Red Bull produces a popular energy drink. It was established in 1987 and has the highest market share among similar companies throughout the world. The main platform used by Red Bull in their online marketing campaign was Instagram. What exactly did they do? They wanted to raise awareness related to the expansion of their brand. The campaign they arranged was dedicated to their new flavor – “Summer Edition.”
Red Bull is a brand with history. They’ve been active players in the energy drink market for 30 years. Over this time they’ve sold nearly 60 billion cans of their energy drink. They do their best to create a drink that caters to the tastes of very different people. They are a good example of a customer-centric approach. Their slogan, “Gives you wings”, is widely recognized all over the world. Red Bull’s online marketing campaigns are typically targeted at people engaged in extreme sports.
As for their latest Instagram campaign, its success is due to the simplicity of the whole concept. First, the company released a promotional teaser so that numerous users saw the project just before summer. They did this in order to introduce the audience to the new look of the cans. The ads incorporated a lot of yellow to represent the sunniness and joy of summer days. They encouraged consumers to use a #thissummer hashtag to talk about their new item. This led to great results:
- Increased top-of-mind awareness as well as favorability;
- A decrease in the unconvinced market;
- Their overall consumer reach amounted to 1.2 million people.
It would be silly to deny the great impact and power of Instagram. It is very efficient in terms of driving engaged users. Many companies choose Instagram as the main platform for the implementation of their online marketing campaigns.
Before you decide which social media strategy to use, you must conduct prior research to see which social media platforms your customers are using and how they’re using them. Red Bull did just that and later utilized the potential of Instagram to their benefit.
Conclusion
Having a customer-centric approach means viewing clients as your company’s biggest asset. If your enterprise hasn’t made this necessary change yet, make sure that it does. It will enable you to evolve in the right direction. Use all of the benefits social media marketing can offer. A customer-centric attitude empowers your employees and your company as a whole and helps you to address your clients with the right message. And when talking about Social Media it provides great channel for effective client interaction and ability for great and highly efficient customer - oriented marketing.