While many CEOs still aren’t fully engaged in social media, their CMOs are. In a recent survey conducted by Bazaarvoice, it was found that CMOs are consistently basing marketing decisions on social media data that they received. Over 80% of them believe that social media efforts have an impact on brand awareness and brand loyalty, while over 75% believe that it has a direct impact on sales. This confirms that CMOs know that social media is not just a fad. Successful business marketing plans need to embrace the power and data that results from a solid social media campaign.
So exactly what can be done with a successful social media campaign? There are a few tips from the top, on how to use all of this data to your advantage.
1) Know your customer. Social media allows you to know the type of customer who are brand loyal. Take the time to read the data, and browse the people who follow you and are fans. This will help you better understand how you should go about marketing your business. Do they seem to be very green conscious? Make the most of your campaigns by showing how your company recycles and uses earth-friendly products.
2) Track satisfaction. We live in a world where customer satisfaction is imperative to having a successful business. Reviews, good or bad, help us realize where we excel and where we can improve. Be sure to continue to use this information to be consistently improving your business.
3) Make it a two-way street. You can’t just shout out messages all day, without welcoming feedback. Respond to comments, post on individual people’s walls, and take the time to make your customers feel that you really know about them and their needs. It is through this that you will be able to predict a customer’s future needs, before they even know that they need them.
With all the data we are now able to retrieve thanks to social media, we have barely started to tap into the potential. Data analysis of all this information will continue to improve, and the possibility of tailoring the perfect message to your customers is within your reach. It’s time to think like a CMO, and recognize the power of these campaigns.
For nearly three decades, Chris Marentis, Founder and CEO of Surefire Social, has been responsible for driving innovation and sales growth for large media and e-commerce brands as well as start-ups. With a long-history of counseling local businesses about their marketing efforts, Marentis provides insight on what it takes for small businesses to succeed and thrive in today’s evolving digital environment. His notable career includes creating the foundational blueprints for online marketing, e-commerce and content branding for AOL’s Interactive Marketing group, where he served as Senior Vice President. While CEO of Clearspring Technologies, Marentis developed one of the most widely adopted venture-backed Web 2.0 technology platforms. Marentis is a frequent speaker at local digital marketing conferences and a contributor to SMB and technology-focused publications.
