How to market to customers online
In the age of social media and advanced technology, companies are relying more on digital marketing to attract customers.
Before jumping into the world of digital marketing, follow this step-by-step process to determine what kind of strategy your company needs.
Determine your target audience.
Who is your current customer base? Is this the right demographic you should be marketing to? Who is your ideal target demographic? You should consider these questions when determining who you want to market to online. It’s better to appeal to a small niche of people who are enthusiastic about the product you are trying to sell versus a larger group of people who don’t care as much.
You should also be aware of who your competitors are marketing towards. Once you’ve taken that into consideration, try to market to an audience that is unique from your competitors’.
Read more about defining your target market:
Match the tone.
Every social media platform has a slightly different tone. For example, while Twitter is mostly used for casual conversations, LinkedIn is more professional and informational. Note this when you are building your marketing strategy. Once you master the tone of each platform, you will be ready to interact with your customers online.
Check out these helpful websites if you’re unsure of the tone of each social media platform:
Provide them with valuable information.
Besides marketing your business, utilize online interactions for sharing tidbits or “fun facts” about the industry with your customers. This gives you more credibility as a source and will act as good evergreen content.
Here are some examples of great #DYK content:
Engage, engage, engage!
When marketing to an audience, it’s important to come across as professional, but also make sure to humanize your content. An easy way to do this is through customer engagement. Paul Greenberg defines this as “The ongoing interactions between company and customer, offered by the company, chosen by the customer.” Engaging online can act as a public forum for communication between your business and all your customers. By engaging with your customers online, your retention is more likely to increase.
There are many ways to engage with your followers online. Many companies utilize the poll function on Twitter to get feedback, spark conversation, or use as an opportunity to interact with customers on the platform.
Check out these Twitter polls for inspiration:
Another surefire way of engaging your customers is through asking questions. This acts as a call to action that will prompt them to participate in the post. For example, LinkedIn’s company page asked their followers, “Did you land a dream job? How’d you make it happen?” This sparked a conversation with hundreds of comments flowing in from dream job hopefuls to grateful employees. LinkedIn’s followers were able to interact not only with the company, but also with others who share the same interests.
With social media on the rise, your company needs to be able to stand out to the public. How can you separate yourself from the pack? Show your customers that your company is a reliable, human source they can trust.
Monitor and make adjustments as needed.
Even well-oiled machines need recurring checkups. As you build your online marketing strategy, keep in mind that it won’t be static. Online trends and means of communication will always be changing, so your company’s marketing strategy should too. Monitor how your current strategy is performing and make any necessary changes. The more you keep updating your online marketing strategy, the more it will improve, which will benefit your company as a whole.
Good luck and happy marketing!
