Quality brand communication on social media strategies with Edan Gelt: Overall, there is a movement away for brands being admired for products to now brands being admired for trustworthiness and empathy. This new movement seems to be working. In a recent consumer survey, it is shown that during the pandemic, consumer trust in larger brands is increasing. These are seismic changes to the ways large brands communicate with consumers. Brands with foresight are switching more toward a communication strategy that involves building trust with consumers. These new efforts open more direct communication channels. It is a drive toward consumer centricity that is unlikely to change even after the pandemic eases. It was a world that was on the verge of major change anyway. The global pandemic is pushing many of these changes upon us without letting them ‘evolve’ naturally. See more information at https://about.me/EdanGelt.
The Power of Free in Marketing: In terms of reaching your target market, free giveaways or free samples are more successful in earning a response from your audience. Free samples are surprisingly more cost effective than traditional marketing. Using “free” as a strategy allows businesses to reach potential customers that may have never reached with traditional marketing. Often, your potential core consumer doesn’t even realize your product or service is needed until they’ve experienced it firsthand. Hence why free samples are the way to wiggle your way into new customers ‘must haves.’
The law of reciprocity is one way marketers use psychology to entice or influence people to buy products or services. It’s an innate reaction that if used correctly could result in an unprecedented ROI. I received a postcard in the mail a while back for a free 8lb bag of dog food from PetSmart – brand of my choice. I went into the store and grabbed the bag of dog food but feeling guilty about just getting something free, I also filled up my cart with $50 of treats and pet toys for my pup. I felt compelled to make a purchase, to reciprocate. Imagine you’re out to dinner with your friend and she grabs the bill, a small argument ensues, she wins, and you feel indebted and want to do something in return immediately. The result may be a lot of thanking, but you know quite certainly that you will be picking up the next tab. That is the psychology of reciprocity.
As part of your brand communication strategy you will need to provide relevant and consistent content. For example, if your main social media account is Instagram you should aim to post once a week (ideally at the same time, on the same day each week to build consistency). Your posts should be well-thought-out, helpful and add real value. You should not be posting content for the sake of posting. Irrelevant or dreary content can hurt your brand image. Remember, quality over quantity, always. See even more info at Eden Gelt.
I’m with you. If you’re like me, videos featuring you as the star can be uncomfortable to create and even watch. But you’re in luck, if you’re a business professional marketing to other business professionals you only need to provide 1-minute of content. B2B videos 1-minute or less perform best with 68% of your audience watching the entire video. Even if you’re a business that is marketing to consumers (B2C), keeping it short is the rule since 60% of watchers will tune you out or turn you off after the 2-minute mark. So now that we know we only need to generate video content of 60-seconds (give or take), let’s get started.
Turn on the message app in GMB – it may be painful to answer sometimes, but this is a great way to capture leads. By engaging in messaging this gives you the power to talk to your audience in real time. These conversations are what can help your business stand out because it shows you are a real person rather than a bot or a corporate conglomerate company, that personal touch goes a long way. Don’t let the fact of being ‘live’ scare you away from messaging through your GMB. There are settings that allow an automated response so if you don’t want to be monitoring your messaging 24/7 this initial response will give your customers the response they want while you can get back to them with their exact answer the next day or during business hours.
Lead by Example: Testimonials on Google, Yelp and Facebook lend credibility to your brand. Ask your existing clients to write a review and share their experiences. Even better than written testimonials are those done in video format and shared to your Google page. Samples of your work or case studies can also be extremely helpful when closing a new client or attracting new ones. Case studies share how your product or service created value for someone else and samples of your work exhibits how you did it.
There are several ways to effectively ask your clients to give you reviews. You can politely ask by weaving it into your closing. Adding links in your email signature to sites you wish to have reviews on is effective and professional. You can ask in all correspondence and on social media by sharing a link set up in GMB. When you receive reviews, interact and respond within a timely manner. By responding quickly and skillfully, it shows your customers and those potential customers who are researching you online before making that initial interaction that your business values client feedback. Positive reviews and responses are going to have a positive effect on potential customers when researching your business. Reviews and responses also increase your business’s visibility in search results. Read extra information on Eden Gelt.
3…2…1…ACTION It’s game time and there is no fancy equipment required. Are you ready to film? Just take out your handy phone, iPad or computer and let’s start rolling! Depending on the type of content you are looking to share, you can record 1-minute clips straight through or you can film individual segments and patch them together with film editing software such as iMovie, Open Shot, Movie Maker 10 and more. If you’re not handy with editing, you can hire someone (or recruit your children). You can also just publish raw and real footage. Depending on your business type and brand, sometimes having unedited content may even help you connect better to your client base.
Are your clients business professionals or are they casual customers? What social sites are you most comfortable on, what social sites do they frequent? Do you have a website and social channels set up yet? Regardless of platform, a multi-channel distribution strategy is key – you need to place your media where your customers and prospects are and often they are not all in the same place at the same time. If you have a website, start posting your videos there. One “About Us” video isn’t enough – regularly adding video to your website increases SEO and keeps your clients up to date on your offerings. You can create a page specifically for your videos, or place them on existing pages.