I never really understood the power of online marketing, Googling, searching and social media until that day in 2009, when a colleague of mine in radio sales began writing online content for a radio show.
Since then, social media and online content have been co-conspirators in luring unawares to their blog or site, and engaging them.
In today’s Digital Marketing Update, podcast #46, host John D. Verlin discusses the outcome of this tactic and how it changed his view of online content, engaging trust and social media exposure. Not to mention the Millennial Shift.
It’s all a part of our three-part strategy to drive SEO and web traffic and make your business exceed the profile and exposure of your competitors with an extended marketing platform–the perfect compliment to a Google Adwords campaign!
You may learn more about us and schedule a free appointment.
You may listen to all of our exclusive audio podcasts here.
- On the go and in the know–successful entrepreneurs use the latest business and success information to further their business pursuits.
- Now, On Demand Advertising Solutions is making available our Digital Marketing Update newsletter for you to follow–sent to your inbox each month!
- Get all the latest entrepreneurial tips, business trends and marketing information tailored to the small business owner, FOR FREE!
Now, enjoy the video podcast!
Marketing Your Business; 5 Powerful Reasons Your Business Needs Social Media To Grow, Podcast #46
Host: John D. Verlin
Transcript:
Good afternoon once again John Verlin, On Demand Advertising Solutions, Digital
Marketing Update, podcast number 46.
This is the day after Black Friday, which I understand there were quite a few people out
still buying. Doing a lot of that, and a lot of that had to do with the influence
companies had and businesses had with their social media platforms announcing to
people all the Black Friday deals which leads into what I want to talk to you about today.
and that is that really five great powerful reasons your business should be using
social media to grow.
I first kind of got wind of all the power of this social media and online branding for
businesses about seven or eight years ago in radio advertising.
I worked with a gentleman named Andrew who had previously been at Bloomberg in
marketing so he was way ahead of the game to begin with. But he had created a radio
show for an interior designer.
Now imagine an interior design radio show on radio. But it worked great. People called
in. It was a weekend show. Lady named Karen Mills hosted it. In a nutshell, he created
this show and I noticed he kept typing all the time.
And I remember he would mutter, content is King. And he’d have three thermoses of
coffee and worked his tail off.
And I kept thinking, what is this guy doing? Well one day, an email came in I noticed
addressed to him, or it was a listener who said I would like to talk to you.
Andrew, who is the executive producer of this show. And I’m thinking executive
producer?
Well he was branding himself as the creator of this radio show because we started selling
sponsorships.
It started getting traction. But he was taking content from the show putting it in written
form like a transcript like I’m doing with podcasts promoting it on the web,
And it was a beautiful Media mix of online content with podcasts of the show promoting
the upcoming new show,
And then they get to hear it on radio but they also have the podcast to listen to if they
missed it on radio.
It all worked together is really what it comes down to. And this is the same reason today
that when you do a podcast interview, it’s engaging people.
They can hear it on the platform of your blog 24/7, but they also can read the transcript
whenever they want to.
They can share it and you promote it on social media that reinforces everything else
you’re doing with your marketing.
Say direct mail, TV, radio. It all goes back to your branding or marketing platform where
they can access content. No different than as I mentioned in post last week this is the
same thing that Netflix and Amazon do when they create their originals content,
You’re creating original content for your business and that’s why it’s acting like a
Hollywood studio. My involvement, if I’m involved with your business is to help
promote it, produce it, create it and then promote it. So it’s no different,
It’s a smaller version but you’re creating original content for your target audience which
is your customers. Which is all measurable and this is exactly why everything is moving
to a digital format online and streaming devices mobile devices.
It’s accessible 24/7 with anybody. This is the new branding that starts the customer
experience with your brand online and on mobile devices particularly when 50% of
people today are using those mobile devices.
So five powerful reasons and this is actually I’m I’m gleaning this from an article that
Peter Roesler wrote who’s the president of Web Marketing Pros.
This was in Inc. magazine. He had some great points here about social media
marketing and why it should be done by all businesses. It’s still confusing I think to a lot
of small businesses as to why do I even need it well here’s why one it increases your
brand awareness okay this whole idea like Field of Dreams he talks about you’ll build
that they will come. But research is showing that seventy-eight percent and this is
relevant. It reported this, seventy-eight percent of small businesses attract new
customers through social media. Research shows just how valuable this brand
awareness can be.
According to Android Digital, seventy five percent of online Americans said product
information found on social media influences their shopping behavior and
enhances brand loyalty. Seventy-five percent.
He goes on to break down the fact that Millennials learn about new product.s Twenty six
percent responded that they did just three percentage points behind TV advertising
which is twenty nine percent.
There’s this, I’ve mentioned this before, but this whole shift of media usage in our
country it’s moving to online and mobile devices.
Of watching movies, TV streaming. Sporting events. Listening through streaming on your
phone.
This is why the content creation for promoting on social media is so critical because it’s
accessible 24/7 just like Netflix and Amazon movies.
Just think about that. That’s really what you’re creating is content for your audience.
Now why do you need content to draw them in, to pay attention to your brand?
Why? Because seventy five percent of people find out about products and enhance
brands in their mind through social media.
And they can find, they can go to in this case a video podcast and experience your
brand.
And this is what it’s all about. This is where it’s all headed, is managing that customer
experience from day one through your branding and your social media.
Number two it legitimizes a brand. Now this is a big deal if your lawyer a doctor a
dentist, architect, any kind of business-to-business type of market you’ve got to be
legitimized.
You got to be legitimized with consumers too if your retail. That you are a valid business.
But this further is more importance because this is the online stamp of approval.
And this social media marketing helps establish a brand is legitimate.
A lot of time people don’t even know anything about your brand. But when they go it
says they often check social media pages for the brand.
To learn more about it. Many small businesses have static websites that change little if at
all, after being initially set up by the designer.
And that’s real typical. Social media pages on the other hand should be constantly
updated with new posts new comments.
A website establishes that a brand exists but a social media page establishes that the
brand is active.
And by adding a blog that’s continuously updated, as I mentioned on the previous
podcast.
Producing content on a regular basis keeps it fresh, and the overall branding
platform image that you’re alive and well and functioning and exciting and
whatever else.
So a website establishes that a brand exists but a social media page establishes that
the brands active.
And research from Bala who found that 63% of consumers who search for local
businesses online are more likely to use businesses with information on social
media sites.
Now he also indicates that poor social media marketing can de-legitimize a brand.
If a new customer goes to the site and found that you have made a post in a few months, they may assume you’re defunct now.
You know, we never used to think about this.
You know it’s kind of like not being listed in the Yellow Pages. Twenty years ago they
would assume you’re out of business.
Maybe you weren’t, you just didn’t want to pay the 20 grand to be in the Yellow Pages.
That’s why everybody did it.
It’s the same thing here. It’s really important here because it’s the devices mobile devices,
tablets, phones, online.
People can check instantly to say hey Google or Alexa and boom it can be pulled up.
Number three, increased sales where brand awareness and legitimizing the brand
helped increase sales.
Business owners can write posts and link to product sales. Marketers can use promoted
content and advertisements to sell products to target audiences who haven’t become fans
of a brand yet.
Thus the whole point of what I do with video podcasts and promote on social media.
Part of that can be new products and introducing products and services to
legitimize them and people, make people aware of them.
Social networks know a lot about consumer interests and demographics so even though
there are hundreds of millions of fans, marketers can accurately target the right people
with the right message.
Okay, number four, improve customer service.
Now you may have a customer service person or you yourself answer the phone or take
the email or the chat. But it’s interesting, because even if a business has a dedicated
customer service department, a telephone number or email, it’s important to handle the issues through a method of communication that consumer prefers,
The fact that people use social media to ask customer questions is reason enough for
businesses to ensure their ability to help customers through social media.
Now, this goes back to establishing a brand basically. And one of the key
concerns consumers have when they shop online, is the responsiveness of customer
service. People want to be assured if they have a problem that can get help easily
and quickly and by being receptive to their needs business owners can increase
their customer loyalty to a brand.
And finally, number five. Distributing content. Social media should be a part of any
content marketing distribution.
He says social media accounts for a huge portion of referral traffic on the web. People
are looking for content that interest them and they want to share it online.
Now a joint study by AOL and Nielsen found that people spend more than 50% of their
time online with content and an additional 30% of their time on social channels
where content content can be shared.
So, if you want to get customers through content marketing, you need to use social
media and promoted content to make that happen.
All of this increasing brand awareness, establishing your legitimacy as a brand, that
social media marketing can affect the bottom line of business by increasing sales.
Learning about social media for marketing, should underscore why these
efforts need to be continuous and the harm it does when social media marketing
isn’t up to consumer expectations
It’s something every business needs to do and do well.
And you can see from the studies that I just mentioned how much people are now
engaging in all this and how critical it is for your business.
JohnVerlin12@att.net. You can get hold of me with questions or comments or anything.
Check www.OnDemandAdvertisingSolutons.com the website and we will talk to you
again next week
All podcasts are recorded by Verlin Studios / Gardner, Kansas
Copyright, John D. Verlin 2017
