If you’re going to come to the digital marketing party, then why wouldn’t you want to connect with social media marketing in Trinidad and Tobago? Some may not know how to implement a campaign -we’ve heard that just putting up a profile isn’t enough. Others may believe it’s too challenging to measure the effectiveness. But if that were truly the case, then why are so many accepting the invitation?
A 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry report revealed that 90% of marketers indicate social media is important to their business. With a response like that, we have to believe they are on to something. So what is it about social media campaigns that are so alluring?
Why Join the Gathering
There are some solid numbers to show that social media users aren’t just connecting with friends. A study from mashable.com found that a majority of social media users engage with business.
- 60% use social media to learn about products
- 54% use social media to give positive feedback
- 58% use social to get coupons or to learn about promotions
The perceived ease of engagement in social media draws many. Though, once they’ve arrived, the savvy are separated from the novices quickly. Knowing how to conduct a smart campaign takes a lot of exploration and planning. It takes time and dedication to create, and to monitor a solid social media campaign. For small businesses, this can prove challenging. Social media is still relatively new for business use, but online marketing firms have gathered the knowledge to pull an effective plan together.
Measuring Effectiveness
The conversations happening on social sites can drive meaningful business outcomes and can help establish, or boost your brand awareness. But it may be difficult to make the case for starting a social media campaign if you believe the ROI is a gray area. Well, it’s not.
Social media measurement has evolved quite a lot in a short period of time. And for some, while the jury may still be out regarding the effectiveness of measuring success… according to emarketer.com, 60% of all marketers say it’s a somewhat, to very, effective strategy.
Analyst Debra Aho Williamson of eMarketer says “marketers must apply business level analysis to social media measurement to determine its true impact.” In other words… quit thinking that because it’s a relatively new marketing tool, that there needs to be some new, magical means of measuring the impact of social media on your business.
Marketing Profs talks about tips for proving the value of a social media marketing campaign. You can take the number of connections, determine which resulted in interaction – and of what type, and then do the following:
- Align social media metrics with standard marketing metrics. Simply translate the value in terms of sales, revenue, and costs. Typically, the cost of social media is extremely low compared to the yield.
- Attach a cost comparison with other marketing channels that have a history, such as SEO, cost per click, a call, or a lead.
- Don’t isolate social media metrics. By themselves, they aren’t as impressive, but here’s where connecting the dots becomes vital… look at results next to your results from PR, online ads, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) and you’ll see that it holds it’s own.
Social media marketing in Trinidad and Tobago can be effective, and it can be measured. Remember this when you begin a campaign… social media connects people to what they care about, so make them care about you.
Want to know more about running a social media marketing campaign? Contact us now.
