Engaging in Social Media Conversation

Whether they like it or not, small businesses (and most large businesses, too), have to face the facts: the Internet has put people in a powerful position. Used to be that brands can control their image through advertising and other broad marketing tactics. However, now in an age where a single tweet can be shared all across the globe, one person’s opinion can set off a chain reaction that can make or break a brand. Many marketers would be tempted to shout and drown out the chatter with more promotional noise. However, it may be more effective and efficient to embrace this new world… and join the conversation.

Listen to How You’re Talked About

Where marketers can see crisis, there’s actually opportunity. For example, by monitoring social media sites like Facebook or Twitter to see how their brand is mentioned, marketing professionals can get the pulse of their target market. Then they can act or react as the situation requires. They can weigh in, address complaints, thank customers for positive reviews, and sometimes even address customer needs before their competition can.

Speak When People Are Listening

One other opportunity that online marketing presents is the ability to time a message to go out when the audience is online. Many write articles on online marketing news and insights, citing the best times to post content on social media. In general, though, a business should still invest time and effort by monitoring analytics data to figure out when their audience is online and responsive. Sure, it’s not exactly a magic formula, but many marketers didn’t have anything close to this tactic in their playbook.

Social Media has changed the game for many businesses. It has taken some of the power slightly away from those with big marketing budgets. It has given customers more of a say, and it has given small players more of a chance. As long as entrepreneurs and small media marketers can keep track of the right social media marketing news and insights, they just might get the opening they need to engage their customers effectively and grow their business.