Social Media
There is no question that Social Media has become one of the most dynamic and growing aspects of marketing in today's world, but many companies are still grasping with how to use it. Most marketers understand that search and CPC advertising are used for lead generation while traditional and display advertising are for brand building and awareness, but where does Social Media fit?
The answer is heavily dependent on the type of business and customer base you have. Consequently, the social programs that we design for our clients vary greatly. Plus, social media programs often cross over into other fields of marketing so using it to accomplish multiple goals is typically part of our strategy.
In general, most social programs do need to be supported by some sort of social advertising budget in order to be truly effective. Whether that be through Facebook targeted advertising, boosted posts, sponsored pins or video ads, social media enables companies to reach their customer base where they are spending a great amount of time.
“At current usage rates, Americans will spend more time in a lifetime on social media than they will eating and drinking.”
- Mediakix
Social Networking: Typically used for client retention and client referral, social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are probably the most associated with the "social media" concept. The key to achieving success with these platforms lies in building a network of followers and engaging them on a periodic basis with interesting news and promotions. It is important to note that these platforms are tools to help distribute information...so success is often determined by how creative and inspiring one's messages are.
Video Sharing: While videos can be shared on many sites, we focus heavily on YouTube for video sharing. We consider it a hybrid: part video search engine and part video sharing platform. Most of our clients post videos on YouTube because it is a great way to add content on the world's second most popular search engine, but they also like that people can comment, share, and follow their channel. Like most forms of social media, the key to generating great results lies in the creativity of the video and its message, but SEO benefits can be achieved for even the most basic videos focused on very specific content.
Photo Sharing (Pinterest, Houzz, Instagram, SnapChat, etc) - These platforms exist primarily as places to maintain and share images, but some also cross over into video and other content and have gained in popularity over the past few years.
“Almost half of Americans have interacted with a company on a social network at least once.”
- Hootsuite
Having a solid social media marketing strategy with goals in mind can greatly assist in your overall management and execution, whether managing internally, outsourcing completely, or a hybrid approach of internal management with outside guidance/support.
Captiva Marketing offers the following services:
- Account Set Up, Design, and Strategy
- Paid Social Program Management
- Social Media Training
- Social Media Monitoring and Analysis
- Comprehensive Social Media Management