There is no disputing the power of social media. News spreads around the world in seconds and reaches 1000s of users in minutes. Whether it’s the flooding that affected the UK last winter or stories about cancelled flights in holiday season, there’s always an insurance angle. Social media is where people – your customers – go to share their experiences.
Social media is also a medium for businesses to advertise promotions and sales to potential customers. However the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) has launched a consultation to look into how they can regulate the use of social media to sell, and will soon start to clamp down on standards resulting in the end of marketing campaigns which include particularly tall claims and potentially false advertising. When marketing is limited to just 140 characters, getting the small print in is impossible, and insurance businesses need to consider the risks they take.
Online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are deemed by the FCA as inappropriate to sell products; hard sales talk can be perceived as intrusive and can put potential customers off. However, social media can be a great marketing tool, forming engagements and positive brand perceptions without the hard sell. When used correctly Social Media can be advantageous to business.
We Have Compiled our 8 Top Social Media Tips for your Business:
- Make it a conversation: Think about the real world. If you want to buy something, you go to the shop. If you want to talk about something you go to the coffee shop, pub or bar. The same applies in the digital world; if you want to buy something you go to Ebay or Amazon. If you want to talk about it, you go to Facebook or Twitter. Its important that you engage with your audience at an appropriate, conversational level. There are some great (and not so great and somewhat contrived) examples of ‘brand banter’ here.
- Update Regularly: Having accounts on social media is a start, but if you aren’t appearing regularly on customer’s news feeds, then you will find it difficult to attract their attention. Twitter in particular has so many active accounts that it’s easy for your business to go unnoticed. A good rule is to make sure that you post on all social media sites daily to constantly remind customers of your existence. The content doesn’t have to be very different as generally consumers will follow you on one platform, rarely more than 2 social media accounts.
- Paid Advertising and Promotion: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin & Youtube all offer paid advertising space. If you wish to attract new customers through social media and your posts alone aren’t doing the job, then this service is invaluable. Other platforms, such as picture archiving facility Flickr and scrap booking site Pinterest, offer Business accounts which include special features to encourage companies to get involved.
- Make use of Hashtags and other SEO Trends: Make sure that some trending topics are discussed, so that keyword searches on Facebook or Google attract attention to your page. Think of it this way; it’s like having your own magazine and printing titles of articles about popular subjects on the front cover- it’s an immediate draw.
- Keep it Relevant: It’s important to keep content relevant to your business, otherwise you are in danger of damaging your brand.
- Use Visual Media too: Building a brand image and voice can be difficult through text alone. Don’t be afraid of using other channels such as info graphics, pictures and videos. Just remember to keep them professional and relevant.
- Link viewers back to website: Remember the point of posting pictures, links to articles, and videos – to aide your business. Always include a link encouraging visitors to ‘Find out more’, or ‘Read more about ‘XYZ’ on our website…’ Driving customers to your website is the goal of any good marketing campaign, whether social media driven or not.
- Quality not Quantity: As with everything in life, quantity is no replacement for quality, especially when it comes to visual media. One interesting and well composed image is more likely to stick in the mind than several quick snapshots.
Social Media is a great tool if used well, follow these social meda tips when taking the first steps in your Social Media Marketing for a successful campaign.
If you wish to discuss ways to use Social Media further, or any other Marketing Queries, contact us here.
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