Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Tips to trounce your competitors at social media marketing

The basic fact of commercial life today is that customers go online to buy products and services. And social media plays a part in their purchasing.

But how do you beat your competitors at social media marketing? How can you be found more often than others in your industry? What methods can you utilise to ensure that your products and services are front-of-mind with your target audience online?

Here’s my top three tips to win more awareness, more attention, and more sales than your competitors via social media...

When buyers find what they like we buy it – no selling is necessary. This often keeps us loyal to the same vendors and stores for a long time, and certainly explains the success of Amazon Prime for everyday purchases. However, when buying decisions are heavily influenced by factors such as style, comfort, and fit, then buying necessarily leads to shopping, and that means the counsel of a skilled sales professional is also an influential factor. If your products and services are sold, rather than bought, then it may be time to consider how social media is dramatically changing the shopping experience, and therefore, what your business needs to do to adapt its sales process. Let’s take a look at three...

The buyer is in control of their own purchase journey. The strategic online marketer is winning business with trust, built on engagement, driving business decisions....

Once upon a time, ad agencies ruled the roost. You already know this. It’s why we have shows like Mad Men, where what it took to sell things was just some really smart, gorgeous advertising. It was all about creative campaigns. It was about talking to your customers. It was, essentially, a one-step sales funnel. Advertising got them in the door, and then it was up to the sales team.

No longer, friends. You probably already know this, too. But the days of the simple sales funnel (customer sees ad, customer comes to store, salesperson sales product) are over. Kaput. Done for. (And don’t think I’m just talking B2C; B2B customers are even less likely to see an ad and buy on the spot.)

Now, it’s the strategic online marketer who is winning the majority of business. It’s trust, built on engagement, that is driving business decisions. And that shift that’s already happening? It’s going to keep happening—and in an even bigger way in the coming years. So, today I’d like to talk about that shift....