“Is social media really a medium that is effecting sales within the retail window industry, I hear lots about it but I am not sure if the amount of time involved in being on it really is worth it? Although I am constantly reminded by many people (often of the younger generation) that it is a must….please help me understand.”
– PJ of Bolton
Research by a leading company in the digital marketing space Hubspot has found that 92 percent of marketers hold that social media marketing plays a pivotal role for their business. Eighty percent added that social media efforts resulted in increased visits to their website.
Almost everyone uses social media in one form or another these days, even the ‘older’ generation; by not being on Social media platforms you are limiting your chances of people finding you.
Social media does not belong out there on its own; it does however become a very important part of your marketing “mix” as it enables you to effectively communicate in many ways to a target audience to gain awareness of you and your company’s brand and is often used to gain client referrals by those using it effectively… noticeably the use of images and visuals (video) are now increasingly influencing peoples awareness of us and nurturing them towards interacting with us towards an opportunity to engage with them with that all to valuable sales intervention.
Many sales processes now follow the path of; Attract, nurture and engage (see above) and social media can play an important part in all three elements of this.
There are numerous benefits of creating a social media strategy and being persistent in communicating “your message”. For instance, social media will increase your brand recognition because Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and other platforms act as the voice of your content and brand, in general but there are many tools that exist that make it easier to manage being on many channels regularly – Hootsuite as an example.
Furthermore, through frequent two-way communication with your followers you will improve brand loyalty.
It’s a great way to communicate with your customers, it gives you a chance to build a relationship without selling, and it is also a way of educating them such that they can reach a buying decision in more of a consultative manner.