social media marketing Archives | Page 14 of 16

What type of social media marketing works best during the holidays?

Posted on December 11, 2018November 30, 2018 by Alex Wilks

If you want to prepare your business for social media marketing during the holidays you need to be prepared to mix things up and get creative with your advertisements. It’s one of the biggest times of year for shoppers which means that all of your competitors are doing the same thing and bombarding potential customers with products perks and gift ideas. In order to stand out from the crowd, continue to grow in sales and not get mixed up in the intense flurry of posting on your social channels you need to tastefully separate your brand from the rest. That being said, here are a few suggestive ways that you can capture your festive spirit through the use of social media marketing over the holiday season.

Run a poll

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about personally running to the North Pole. We’re simply highlighting that you should be taking advantage of an easy-to-use tool that many social channels have. Polls are a great way to be fun and festive with your audience, whilst they also yield practical value with the results they manage to gather. You can post an image on your social channels and compare two popular products, asking your followers to leave a comment stating which one they prefer. You can also create a poll on your Instagram story as a quick method to gain social attention.

Get creative with your visuals

Through the use of vibrant greens and lavish reds you’re able to make your content visually festive. Optimize the images across all your social media feeds and make sure that they all follow the same winter wonderland, twinkly light theme and cross-post it for the rest of the month.

Become a storyteller

‘Tis the season for being merry, so, why not embellish this through the use of social media marketing. The story feature on Instagram and Snapchat allows you to create artful stories that invite your followers to engage in your heartwarming holiday spirit. Perhaps a series of images with festive captions would do the trick or simply an interview feature talking about how cozy and cute your products would look inside someone’s stocking?

Be engaging

It’s one thing to make sure that you’re following a regular social media marketing posting schedule and it’s another thing to ensure that you’re engaging with your fans and followers. Bring an added holiday cheer into the mix and personalize as many comments and messages as you can. Although this method can prove to be rather time consuming, customers will relish in your well thought out responses and call outs.

Use a festive hashtag

Whether your creative personality has allowed you to come up with a top-notch hashtag idea or you will simply be adding an already trending hashtag onto all your social posts, never neglect the power of social media tools. Using a hashtag will allow new, potential followers to find and engage with you over the holiday season. Plus, you can keep on top of your competition and see what they are posting.

What other ways do you use social media marketing to your advantage over the holidays? Tell us in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

Alex Wilks has been working as a copywriter and digital marketing strategist since 2018, with added specialties in social media and email marketing. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Communication, she is a natural content writer with the ability to connect well with her target audience.

The ultimate guide to holiday marketing

Posted on December 4, 2018September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

In the world of business, the holiday season is probably the craziest time of year for sales. Naturally, that means that marketing to potential online shoppers becomes essential from October through to the New Year. With the rise in online shopping most e-commerce business owners take advantage of holiday marketing which can make it very difficult to stand out from your competitors. That being said, as a online retailer you need to strengthen your marketing strategies this time of year in order to make yourself noticed during the holiday rush, boost your sales and meet the expectations of your consumers. Here are a few helpful ways that you can make that happen.

Offer free or discounted shipping

Advertising free or discounted shipping is very good method to use when you’re trying to attract shoppers. The holidays can be daunting for many consumers, especially when it comes to fitting their shopping needs into a particular budget. Offering them free shipping is a very good way to encourage them to carry through with a purchase, while discounted shipping, if they live far away, can also seem like a reasonable exchange for a buy-worthy product.

Start marketing for the holidays as soon as you can

Most experienced e-commerce business owners have already started holiday marketing, but for those of you who are just starting to get the ball rolling ensure that you are dedicated to advertising your products or services in the coming weeks. Pre-plan and schedule your social media on all your channels, start pumping out newsletters outlining your sales and holiday gift suggestions and keep your blog up-to-date and informative for shoppers that want a little read while passing through.

Bombard the social world

Pre-planning and scheduling on your social channels are a good start, but bombarding the social world is much more effective when it comes to increasing your online sales. Many shoppers wait until the absolute last minute to make their holiday purchases which can be beneficial for last minute marketing strategies. Highlight on social media why your product or service would make a great gift, make a meme about last minute shopping deals or simply share some photos of your products gift wrapped and ready to ship. Image-worthy content has the ability to draw in shoppers who can see themselves handing off your product to their loved ones on Christmas morning.

Drive shoppers to click-through to checkout

Send a personalized email to shoppers that added products to an online shopping cart but abandoned it prior to purchase. This holiday marketing tactic will remind shoppers about the items that they were interested in buying and also gives you a chance to issue further price reductions if they carry through with their purchase within a certain time-frame. This gentle reminder may help your customers make a purchase.

Are there any other last-minute methods you use to market your business around the holidays? Tell us in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

How do you market a pet business?

Posted on November 27, 2018September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

As an e-commerce business owner you’ve probably learnt a lot about the everyday struggles, advantages and disadvantages of certain marketing techniques, but have you gained any insight into marketing a niche business? Like many niche businesses, pet e-commerce websites have their own set of marketing strategies, content techniques and a range of business decisions that have the ability to benefit and grow their business. That being said, since there are never enough hours in the day, we’ve crafted a few helpful suggestions to help you with marketing your pet business.

Review and update your webpage

When was the last time that you scrolled through your website and refreshed the information available on it? Sometimes a simply rewrite of your biography, a couple new photos and an update to your personal information will go a long way in attracting new, prospective customers.

Review your marketing strategy

Creating an effective marketing strategy for a pet business doesn’t need to be a tedious task… all it takes is a little imagination, a few set-in-stone goals and the attitude to see it through. Start by figuring out a few achievable goals to focus your energy on. Next, figure out how to reach your ideal audience — maybe you’re not on the right social media network? Lastly, figure out your business strengths and focus on how you can use them to capitalize the revenue of your pet business.

Pre-schedule your social media posts

Social media has the power to reach a vast group of people in a very short period of time. So, it would be silly not to utilizate as many platforms as you can manage when you’re marketing a niche business. Promote your business using a combination of memes, videos, pictures, quotes and customized texts that promote sales or special offers. Then pre-schedule it to ensure that you keep an active presence online without allowing social media to take over your probably already busy business schedule.

Encourage customer reviews

Testimonials have the ability to skyrocket the success of any e-commerce business. When pet parents are deciding where they want to make their purchases, they will often read customer reviews to find out more about a product or service. Since trust is one of the most important factors, especially for a pet service provider, a glowing review on your webpage or social media channels will really help potential customers find their way to your online shopping cart checkout.

Try sending newsletters

Email marketing is one of the best ways to use your marketing budget. Sending out newsletters allows you to promote new products and sales, stay in touch with your customers and offer your supporters special, exclusive promotions. Regular, bi-monthly newsletters that are well-written, catchy and concise will show your customers that you’re dedicated to providing them great service.

If you need help with any of the marketing techniques above, it’s best to contact a professional that can get you started on your marketing journey.

Do you have any other questions about marketing a niche business? Let us know all about it in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

Social media marketing for hotels and resorts

Posted on November 20, 2018September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

It isn’t unheard of for a customer to book a hotel or resort by means of an external booking site such as booking.com or trivago.com. In fact, it’s probably the most common method of booking people use. How you choose to position your hotel on your website and through social media channels helps potential guests to recognize your brand and steer them in the direction of your online presence. It’s all about presenting the right content, in the right place, at the right time that makes what you have to offer so desirable. But, just how do you choose which social media networks to use and how do you decide what content to post?

Choosing the right social media channels

Firstly, it’s important to know that there is no one-way street when it comes to social media marketing. What works for one hotel’s branding may not be the same case for another. You may operate a hostel that caters specifically to lower budget traveling. On the other hand, your business may be targeting business people that travel for work. Which social media channel you choose should be reflective of your target audience and geared towards engaging with them. Here are a few questions you could ask yourself before getting started:

How many social media channels do I have the time and money to run?
Which social media channels do my customers use the most?
How can I integrate my social media marketing strategy across the channels that I have chosen?

Once you answer the above questions you will be able to narrow your scope to a couple social media channels that appeal to your target audience.

Choosing the right content

In order to dominate your social media marketing strategy, you’ll need to post intriguing, eye-catching content that makes customers want to click and explore. The top social media channels for hotels and resorts are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. It’s also recommended that you keep up-to-date on TripAdvisor as well.

Facebook is the perfect general-use social media network for hotels and resorts. This platform allows you to add extra tabs, gain followers, post pictures, memes and stories as well as contact your guests easily and conveniently.

Instagram, on the other hand, is incredibly important if you hope to draw in customers by the use of visual content. You want people to get excited about your hotel and by posting beautiful images of your local sites, activities, dining and rooms, you’ll be able to help paint a picture to your guests about what they can expect upon booking.

That being said, Twitter is a great tool for hotels to conduct their customer service or any other time-sensitive updates and events.

Lastly, Pinterest allows user to spend time pinning images of places and hotels they would like to visit sometime. Who knows? Maybe your unique hotel will be added to boards used by people all across the world?

What social media channels do you think would work best for your hotel and why? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

What is social selling and how can it help with your sales?

Posted on October 30, 2018May 31, 2019 by Alex Wilks

The traditional methods of sales have transformed over the years and evolved into a more contemporary approach known as social selling. E-commerce business owners are utilizing the power of social networking to connect, communicate, engage, research and build up trust with potential buyers. The best part of this new selling technique is that people feel less targeted and annoyed, which can usually convert into an increase in sales. But what elements comprise the design of social selling?

What is social selling?

Social selling is a sales process that takes place by using the various social media platforms to reach out to your consumer market. Comparable to a casino slot machine (lots of misses and an occasional hit) social selling is a tactic used by businesses to push sales. Although campaigns have the ability to organically appear on buyers’ news feeds, they also have the potential to get missed in the mayhem of scrolling through.

Needless to say, most consumers find social selling to be an all-round pleasant experience when compared to the in-your-face methods of traditional selling. Social selling is also about creating a following just as much as creating sales. Generally speaking, consumers feel like the price point of a product or service are better if the sales approach isn’t as forceful.

Why is social selling beneficial to your company?

Before the massive wave of internet-friendly sales, sales people dominated this interaction between face-to-face. Now many people turn to the internet to meet their shopping needs, because they feel as if sales people have become too pushy and believe that they are simply trying to sell their product and not inform the public in the process.

To an extent this may be true. Back in the day all that salespeople needed was lots of sales skills and little to no product knowledge. Yet, social selling has revolutionized consumer access to product information. Not to mention the high-quality content is engaging to buyers.

Savvy sales professionals, both through traditional means and online, have become familiar with what their consumers want through the use of social listening and social sales. Instead of being the customers only means of information, e-commerce business owners now know that there is a plethora of facts available after a quick Google search. This allows them to curve their sales judgement and rethink their sales approach.

Needless to say, products are still advertised (more uniquely as a matter of fact), only buyers now have the chance to browse, seek out the best deal or product and read reviews all from the comfort of their own home. Social selling is the new approach to sales in the modern era.

How has your company benefited by using social selling as a selling strategy? Tell us in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

The marketing benefits of social listening

Posted on October 23, 2018October 16, 2018 by Alex Wilks

There are many elements that should be involved in your social media management process. Part of what drives buyers to make purchases is your ability to connect with them and put a face behind your product. When people feel that a company supports their values, they are inclined to give their loyalty as a customer. By using social listening as a means to understand consumers you are taking full advantage of a key social media marketing benefit.

What is social listening?

For those of you who are not accustomed to hearing the term, social listening is the process of being aware of online conversations that are taking place amongst your customers (and potential buyers) through the use of their social media platforms. By familiarizing yourself with this practice, you are allowing it to be used as a tool to collect valuable data on topics, industries and brands.

Social listening vs. social media monitoring

Although both terms suggest keeping tabs on your buyers, social media monitoring is not the same practice. Though they are similar, social media monitoring is when an e-commerce business owner, or a hired social media professional, simply watch social media channels for mentions or comments about their brand. However, social listening involves a more in-depth insight into this conversation.

Interestingly enough, there are conversations that you may find valuable as a business owner that are taking place without appearing in your notifications tab. Actually, studies suggests that only 9% of Tweets that converse about your brand are happening opening on social channels. That means around 91% actually happen without you even knowing. Through the use of social listening you’re able to track keywords, phrases, events and organizations that correlate with your branding. This kind of social media digging provides you with a stronger social presence and other beneficial insights that will aid you in better connecting with your target audience.

What are some other benefits of social listening?

Strategy measurement: Strategies are simply a trial and error process. If something isn’t working, make a new plan. Social listening allows you to measure social engagement and see what is generating the most optimal results.
Content marketing: Since a successful business is measured by your ability to deliver good content, social listening will help you to reach your target audience by crafting posts that they care about.
Build a reputation: One of the most beneficial elements of using social listening is the prompt ability to handle a social media crisis. While positive mentions are the most ideal, negative mentions do happen and it’s important to tackle these issues to ensure your brands longstanding reputation.

If you don’t have the spare time to add social listening to your social media strategy consider speaking with a member from our team to help you with the process.

Have you integrated social listening into your social media strategy? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

Why do you need a social media strategy?

Posted on October 16, 2018September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

The decisions you make regarding your e-commerce business have the ability to steer your company in a successful direction. In order to start defining your brand online, you need to make use of an effective social media strategy, an essential building block that will allow you achieve your target goals. Whether this detailed plan of action is focused on understanding your customers, creating innovative sales content or generating a presence within your niche, a concise social media plan will help you to stand out from your competitors. Here are a few reasons why a social media strategy is an effective way to manage your brands online reputation.

Many purchases are influenced by social media

There was a time when businesses only used social media to spread brand awareness, but that era of engagement has involved into something new and more marketable. Currently, more companies than ever before have invested in major social platforms in order to lure potential customers to their products and services.

For example, e-commerce businesses use Facebook to create ads, manage a posting schedule and keep an eye on their analytics. Not to mention, social media users often rely on their social feeds to provide them with recommendations based on their search history. The perfect way for them to find their way to you.

Lack of strategy gives your competition an advantage

Now that you understand how frequently a social media strategy is used and how effective it can be on influencing purchases, it seems silly to not have one. After all, without the appropriate framework, you’re basically handing your competitors your business.

Investing in your social presence by planning, prioritizing and executing active content will allow you to better communicate with your audience and will provide you with some steady insight into how you can set more appropriate business objectives.

Everyone is on social media

Now, this is probably the most valid reason of all… many people are already on social media. Your friends, colleagues, family and future customers are already probably active on at least one social media account, so, what do you have to lose? Why not strategically connect with your audience through means of social media?

If you’re not incredibly tech savvy or you don’t understand how to work your way around the popular social media networks, speak with a representative from Trek Marketing and find out how to get started.

Are there any other reasons as to why an e-commerce business should lay out a social media strategy? Tell us in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

How do you build your advocate community online?

Posted on September 25, 2018September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

There’s no arguing the power of social media. Large-scale communication, access to an enriched research database and the most exponential collection of time-wasting videos. Social media is a beautiful thing. Yet, followers and likes do not directly determine your customer’s loyalty to your brand. The real question is, how does a brand effectively build a community of advocates?

Provide motivation for customers to advocate for you

The first thing you need to do in order to build a social presence is to create a benefit program that will motivate your happy customers to promote your brand. Craft yourself a list of customers that have expressed positive feelings about your brand in the past. Approach them by emailing them and asking them to complete an act of advocacy, such as leaving a review. The most important thing is to recognize them for their efforts. Maybe even by giving them some really cool swag so that they can personally represent your brand moving forward. Be sure to not constantly hassle the same few people, as they will get tired of doing you favors.

Really get to know your customers

The most important factor to consider when you build a social presence is that customers appreciate when you take the time to get to know them. Learn as much as you can about their needs, goals and challenges. If you’re hoping they will advocate for you, then you need to know more about what makes them tick.

Involve your entire marketing team

When you build a social presence all your gears need to be turning in the right direction, and that includes all the members of your team. Think of all the people that represent your brand — sales team, customer marketing, product development etc. — and consider how these team members can also use positive brand advocation. For example, perhaps your advocates know new potential customers that they could refer to your sales team. It’s a win, win for everyone!

Treat your advocates well

Bottom line, if you treat your advocates really well they will feel emotionally connected to your brand and be more excited to share your products or services with the world…especially if you give them product samples. Just remember if you have happy people advocating your business, that positive energy could go a long way in terms of how you build a social presence and spread your brand awareness.

Are there any other tips you can offer to ensure success when you build an online advocate community? Tell us in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

Third-party software tools that help with social media marketing

Posted on September 18, 2018September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

Social media is one of the best methods of getting your message out into world. With a wide reach to your targeted audience, branding on social media networks is almost a necessity for any e-commerce business wanting to assert their knowledge in their field. Needless to say, social media marketing can be a little overwhelming if you don’t have access to the appropriate third-party software tools. Whether you want to have the ability to repurpose old content, engage with your audience regularly by means of a posting schedule or have more time to focus on your other business arrangements, third-party software tools have the ability to retain a social presence without dedicating an endless amount of time every day.

Hootsuite

If your business has a presence on multiple social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.) then Hootsuite will make it simple to post, schedule and customize to each of your social feeds from one easy-to-use platform. You simply add all of your social accounts, craft a post in the post manager section and schedule that post for as far in advance as you need.

Hubspot

This third-party software tool is beneficial for tracking which posts and channels are driving your sales. Not only do you have the ability to post and schedule content to your social media, but you can also monitor your channels closer and track the data.

TweetDeck

If you are on a tighter budget due to e-commerce startup costs then TweetDeck is the perfect third-party software tool for you. Although it is only used to post to Twitter, the free, multi-columned layout makes it easy to follow conversations, retweets and future scheduled tweets all from one screen.

Sprout Social

Comparable to the more widely used third-party software Hootsuite, Sprout Social allows you to monitor your client’s social media mentions, engage with your brand advocates and schedule your future content.

Google Analytics

Data can be gathered from your social media platforms by the use of Google Analytics. That gathered data has the ability to break down traffic and conversions in order to find out which social feeds are converting into sales and which ones need to be revamped.

Content Calendars

Although this suggestion for a third-party software tool does not require you to subscribe or purchase any complex software, it is recommended that e-commerce businesses create one in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. If you plan out your content in advance you have a distinct advantage that ensures you are present on your social media without needing to worry about coming up with unique ideas every day. This will give you more free time for other aspects of your business that require it.

Have you used any of these third-party software tools for your e-commerce business? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

What does it mean to have a social media strategy?

Posted on September 11, 2018September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

Effective social media marketing involves setting goals and creating a pathway that will get you there. When it comes to the world of social media every post, reply, like, share or comment needs to serve a purpose. The most competent way to orchestrate your success is to develop a social media strategy. This will allow you to organize your ideas and integrate them into social platforms that reach your target audience.

What is a social media strategy?

Social media is probably the most powerful tool a business has access to and if you use it correctly, it will allow you to create a long-lasting connection with already existing and potential customers. In order to create a social media strategy, you must first layout your company goals, brainstorm some measurable objectives and look into what has already been done by your competitors. Once you have finished this process, develop your messages, choose your channels and design a content management plan that will allow you to deliver your material online in a timely fashion.

Creating a social media strategy

The most important part about setting social media goals is to ensure that they are attainable. You don’t want to set unrealistic expectations right off the bat, especially if this is your first experience with developing an online presence. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you are creating a social media strategy:

Track your metrics: Track anything that can prove to be valuable or measurable to your business. Many social sites offer insights charts that allow you to see how your posts are converting to your audience.
Gather information on your audience: The best way to sell a product or service to a targeted group is by knowing them well. It is critical for you to cultivate content that is geared towards developing a relationship with your customers.
Research your competition: You need to understand your competition and know what they are doing effectively. Analyzing your competitors will help you to spot opportunities where you can grow that they haven’t attempted yet.

If you’re finding that you lack inspiration and struggle to be distinctive and unique, seek professional help so that you don’t stretch yourself too thin.

How else have you successfully carried out your social media strategy? Tell us in the comment section below.

Alex Wilks

Contact us

Follow us