How can businesses harness social media for growth? asks Andrew Trotman, CEO and co-founder of social media marketing, talent and content licensing agency KOMI Group, owner of social media brands such as It’s Gone Viral.
Social media can help build customer relationships, create goodwill, and drive sales when used effectively. But how can businesses harness social media to effectively grow their brand?
According to Google, 60% of people with a smartphone talk more online via platforms like social media than they do face-to-face. A statistic that businesses would do well to heed. Some businesses harness social media well and generate growth, others not so much, but all businesses and brands should be incorporating social channels into their everyday messaging.
Those who are doing it well are masters of the following:
Pushing different creatives for different platforms
TikTok and Instagram are what can be called the ‘highway’ platforms. Typically, they are for users with a short-term attention span and scrolling with no destination in mind. For a post to grasp a user’s attention, it generally needs to be intriguing within the first 7 seconds, or else they are likely to scroll past without a second thought. YouTube is known as a ‘destination’ platform. Ideal for those intending on watching long-form videos and dedicating more of their time.
Both of these platforms create strong opportunities for advertisers, but using the same creative on both channels is clearly not going to be effective. At KOMI we have experts that can take a brand’s core creative and merge it with our knowledge and insights, to create bespoke platform conscious creative that are both entertaining and effective in hitting set KPIs.
Reaching a wider audience rather than playing it safe
Those who play it safe could be unintentionally limiting their reach and audience growth. By expanding their ‘target audience’ (on socials), businesses can get more sets of eyes on their name, values and key messages, creating bigger and better opportunities. This includes taking risks with content, stepping out of comfort zones, trying new things, and seeing what creates higher engagement. With reaching people outside your target audience comes the benefit of being able to alter the message to fit new demographics too – something you wouldn’t have insights into if playing it too safe.
Creating content for the audience
It is important to create content for the audience and anticipate what they want to see. Customers are more likely to engage in a brand if they feel some sort of connection to them.
A great example of creating content for your audience and not necessarily for your own values, is Aldi. They are known for their social media presence and for pushing the boundaries with their content. Not afraid to go against the grain, Aldi creates content that is interesting, funny and crucially, shareable – helping to extend their reach beyond a limited customer base. By having a playful social media presence, Aldi builds brand loyalty and drives to strengthen engagement.
Staying on top of the trends
Social trends are constantly changing and staying on top of the ever-moving way of the digital world can be tricky – but it can give you an advantage over your competitors. The latest ‘hit social trend’ is BeReal, an instant photo sharing platform that urges users to share what they are doing instantly with friends. If brands can embrace new and emerging social platforms like BeReal and incorporate this into their creatives, they will stay ahead of the curve.
So, what is the best way businesses can harness social media for growth? Don’t be afraid to take risks, reach outside of your target audience group and embrace new social trends. By using social platforms effectively and creating content for followers, businesses can truly grow through the power of social media.
