Leverage Social Media – Harnessing the Power of Social Networking Websites will Optimize the Success of Your Business

Leveraging social media is an essential concept that should be integrated in the earliest days of your startup social media marketing plan for your business. Today, thousands upon thousands of social media marketing courses, books, guides, and articles exist that expound on the ability to leverage social media. In today’s world of economic downturns and limited resources, many businesses are excluding social media marketing from their campaigns in order to reduce compensating staff members for managing the social media platforms and experiencing a low return on investment on the efforts put forth by those individuals. Though the elimination of this form of marketing may be explained in a logical fashion by businesses, it is not considered to be an ideal move. In fact, unsuccessfully harnessing the sheer power of leverage and social media marketing could prove to be even more costly, in terms of branding and profits, than allotting funds for social networking to be put in place in your business.

The Purpose and Intent of the Social Platform for Marketing

In order to truly grasp the benefits associated with leverage and social media marketing, you must understand the purpose and intent of the social platform as it relates to online marketing. Today, platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn are considered to be an effective medium for socializing with prospective customers. In fact, business professionals that have successfully leveraged their marketing through social media have expressed that this is one of the most productive means for a brand to instantly connect to prospective consumers. The platforms allow businesses to connect on a deep and intimate level. In turn, this builds trust between the consumer and the brand that they are interacting with on a regular basis. Failing to place your company’s presence on social media platforms is now considered to be immensely detrimental. Today, consumers WANT a personal experience. They want to experience professional and personal intimacy between them and the companies that they follow, research, and purchase. The purpose and intent of the social media platform is to allow for that level of intimacy. As the bond between a consumer and your business strengthens, you will find that your company experiences a higher level of monetary success. Not only that, but, your brand’s reputation will increase. When this happens, you will land an even higher following.

Transitioning from Traditional Media to Social Media

Many businesses that elect to engage in a startup social media marketing plan fail. This is typically because of the fact that the company sees the platform as a website rather than an opportunity to engage with an audience in a close and personal fashion. Traditional media venues, such as advertisements and sales copy, are one-directional. Social media, on the other hand, is two-directional. It allows your business to interact with an interested online community in a type of public-based forum. It creates a sense of openness and a high level of transparency. While this may prove to be a bit intimidating to many businesses, it is necessary because today’s customers crave that openness and transparency in order to determine if your business is the type of business that associates with their values, beliefs, needs, and wants. In addition to this, you should know that social media networking users often respect brands that promote others on the platform. For example, if another company has a great article, book, video, or image that is relevant to your brand or your campaign, share it. This is a power play that will earn you an immense amount of success. Additionally, you may find that others return the favor!

The “Human” Element

According to social media marketing courses, startup social media marketing guides, and business professionals, leverage and social media should collaborate in such a manner that it exhibits a “human” element. When interacting on social media platforms, it is imperative to ensure that the “personality” of your company is represented. By exhibiting a “personality”, you will find that prospective customers are more likely to engage with your brand. While it may be tempting to share the services that you offer, outline your mission statement and even share the corporate values associated with your customers on Facebook and other popular social platforms, users want more. Get personal, get funny, get human – by doing these things, you will find that your social media marketing campaign experiences a higher level of success.

Exchange the “Like” Mindset for the Metric Mindset

When youre trying to leverage social media success, many in the startup social media marketing game find themselves looking at the “Likes” that they receive. You should avoid judging the campaigns you are running on platforms like Facebook based on the number of “Likes” that are present. In fact, you should make a commitment to exchange the “Likes” mindset to the metric mindset. In other works, look at other metrics associated with your social media marketing campaign, such as the reach of your posts, the virality rate of your shares, identifying how much social media referral traffic your website is receiving, if your content is ranking high in search engines, the business leads obtained from social media, and increases in general brand traffic. By following the steps outlined in this guide on leverage and social media, you are sure to experience an immense amount of success in all of your social-based marketing efforts.