“Your business doesn’t have social media marketing? Oh, no wonder we haven’t heard of you before.”
If you are still relying on the Yellow Pages for people to find you then it really is time for someone to put it to good use and knock some sense into you (it’s a joke, we do not condone violence, so before you get offended, drink a cup of cement, and harden up.) Let’s face it, if the Yellow Pages needs social media, there is a pretty good chance you need it too!
Not having a social media marketing strategy for your business is one of the quickest ways to shoot it in the foot. Social media is more than just projecting your brand into the world, it is the 21st-century mouthpiece for word-of-mouth marketing. Only now, instead of relying on the snail mail and Aunty Margret’s book club to get the message out there, you have the power of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter targeting your efforts into a hyper-connected world – a world where one recommendation has a huge impact and reach for your brand.
This article looks at water coolers, pineapple on pizza and of course, social media marketing!
1. Social media marketing is the water cooler of your business
Yes, a water cooler. Before work from home became the new norm for many, people used to gather at the water coolers to dish on the latest goss, crush on that new hottie in the office and talk about their favourite couple in the latest season of My Kitchen Rules SA (ours is Retha and Tshepi in case you were wondering).
Well, social media is like that water cooler. A place where people come together to form connections, share opinions, shop around and engage in an online community. Social Media is a place where you can build relationships and connect with your customers in a social space online. However, you need to make sure you show up at the right water cooler and not bring pineapple on pizza to the anti-pineapple water cooler. Just like in real life, you need to find the right circles and people to engage with, not everyone likes pineapple on their pizza and that is okay- or is it?
2. I like pineapple on my pizza
Walk into a crowded room and shout, “I like pineapple on my pizza” and wait for the response. That is social media. It is the power of expressing yourself and your brand in the public space. It is having the ability to start conversations, raise awareness and allow your brand to create and own its story and form meaningful connections with those who shout back, “I love pineapple on my pizza too!” – and there you have it, your first lead. Finding like-minded individuals and creating genuine business leads is one of the many advantages social media can have for your business.
3. “Okay my business is on social media, now what?”
You are no longer just a name and a number in the Yellow Pages, you are now a face, a profile, an image, shop front, a brand, a service provider, and it is your opportunity to own it! But how?
Well, if you run an insurance firm, for instance, we don’t expect your expertise to be in creating social media strategies, content creation, community management, brand building and driving traffic to your website. It is a job best left to the experts!
Arrive Online offers a variety of social media packages to get your brand noticed. Plus, we aren’t shy! We engage and when we get a response, we start a conversation. We are the experts in giving your brand a voice, and not just any voice, a voice that demands to be heard (think Fran Drescher in “The Nanny” meets Liam Neeson in “Taken” coupled with the sweet serenade of James Earl Jones).
Get in touch with us and let us start those conversations for you and convert your audiences’ feelings of love for your brand into a full-blown online love affair.