Social Media Marketing
How Have Things Changed?
Social media marketing, just like social media, is constantly evolving with the times. As social media changes, your target audience adapts, and changes the way they interact with the platform.
Whether you are a B2B business or a B2C business, there are a few things you must consider before posting to social media - the 7 P’s and your ideal customer.
The 7 P’s of Social Media Marketing
If you’ve been in business awhile, you recall the 4 P’s of Marketing - Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Now, there are 7 P’s to reflect our changing world. But the P’s remain one of the tried and true marketing strategies.
Thinking through each of these will help you create an ideal framework for your social media marketing plan.
- Price - What is the value of your product including discounts offered and the competitor’s price?
- Product - What features and benefits will the customer receive?
- Place - How will you deliver your product/service and where customers will find it?
- Promotion - How will you promote your product, what are the best platforms to post on, and what time works best for posting?
For those who are marketing a service:
- People - What are your prospect’s credentials and training
- Process - How does your service work, what are the unique selling points, and are there step by step guides?
- Physical Evidence - What can the customer take with them to remind them of your service (for example, a notebook, pen, or a Magic 8-Ball)?
How To Create Your Ideal Customer
Some call it the ideal customer, some call it a buyer persona. No matter your name preference, creating an ideal customer plan will allow you to truly understand your target audience. This will help you better market your product or service on social media, as well as other digital marketing platforms.
When creating your ideal customer, consider the following action items:
- Understand your prospect’s purchase process
- Consider what info they need to know
- Realize you’re communicating with real people
- Understand the needs and challenges of your customer
AIDA Model
Additionally, we recommend following the AIDA Model when creating your ideal customer. These are the stages that an individual goes through when they purchase a product or service. The AIDA model consists of the following items.
- Awareness - Grab your prospect’s attention and deliver information they need to know early on in their journey to get them excited. After all, you can’t buy what you don’t know about..
- Interest - Get them thinking about you! Create a connection with your prospect through shared interest via how-to guides, free trials, or ebooks.
- Desire - Shift your prospect’s thinking from “I like it” to “I want it” by developing relationships with potential customers
- Action - Move the customer to interact with your company
Each social media channel has a slightly different audience and “rules” of engagement. Together, while using additional key factors in social media marketing, we’ll identify your ideal prospects and what channels they are using to find reliable information and align this with what you have to offer.
Have questions or need a little guidance with your social media efforts? Let’s talk soon.