Great perspective from AlphaPixel Reach writer Clay Robeson.
The goal of every business is to stay at the top of the “go-to” list that clients (and potential clients) think of when they need your services. Being on the tip of someone’s tongue when they or someone they know needs what you provide is the whole reason we advertise. There are a myriad of ways that we can accomplish this, especially when it comes to bringing in new clients. Word of mouth from existing customers and traditional media advertising are the tried and true methods of landing that new sale, but these days, more and more companies are focusing on that seemingly ever-elusive Social Media Market.
While advertising via Social Media seems to be a no-brainer, keep in mind that it doesn’t always work the same for everyone, and its impacts will vary depending on the strategies, goals, and expectations you have from the campaign. For instance, a coffee shop advertising a $5 special on coffee this week is likely to see a higher, faster conversion from prospect to customer than a real estate agent selling million-dollar homes. The reasons for this are simple. People tend to need coffee more frequently than they need a new home. Without a personal recommendation, people are more willing to trust a new coffee shop than they are to trust a new real estate agent. And most people don’t question the value of a steeply discounted cup of coffee the way they might question a steeply discounted house.
That said, even if you’re running the most successful social media campaign ever, your clients may not actually tell you that they found you via social media. Unless it’s a personal recommendation from a friend of theirs, people tend to not share how they found you if you don’t ask or include a “Mention you saw this add to get your discount!” call out in your campaign. So, you may never know that a customer stopped by simply because they saw your ad just before they left the house and it reminded them that they needed that specific thing you provide. In addition, social media may not be the ONLY place they know you from. If you are running a strategic advertising campaign with prongs focused on Social Media, Google Ads and print, they may mention only one of those avenues if you ask. And if you also happened to be recommended by a friend, that is most certainly the way they’ll say they found you.
Just because they don’t tell you that they found you via Social Media, it doesn’t mean that social media didn’t play a part in their becoming familiar with your services. With the current culture of “re-posting” and “re-tweeting” things of interest to friends, acquaintances and coworkers, and new tools like “Request a Recommendation,” Social Media is often the catalyst to a bigger conversation. That means having a solid, easily accessible, easily understandable Social Media presence is of the utmost importance if you want to tap into the potential client base that a good Social Media campaign can bring.