Does your company engage a social media influencer to get new business? You know, a trend-setting corp-fluencer with a million plus cult following on the web? Probably not. Which begs the question, how do you go about getting new business during Covid-challenged times? Networking through personal contact at conferences and cocktail parties has been all but impossible in the last couple of years, or difficult to say the least. And webinars and Zoom meetings seem to be poor substitutes. Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok are beckoning. Yes, TikTok. Get ready.
Unimaginable not too long ago, these social media can be great tools to increase visibility in any given business field. And while they don’t necessarily replace traditional PR or advertising and not all of them may be suited for your business, they can be dynamic, fast-changing additions to your regular channels of promoting your business. In case you think it doesn’t apply to you because you’re a law or accounting firm or your product is heavy industrial machinery for example, think again. Every business has something to sell whether a product, service or a unique positioning, benefits from branding and desires to grow by attracting new markets while reassuring existing clients that they chose wisely.
Like any marketing effort, it begins with planning strategies that optimize resources and involve several factors such as target audience identification, both existing and desired, an analysis of your competitors and what they are doing and, finally, content creation. Content leads to building awareness, igniting a buzz, advancing top-of-mind awareness. This can be accomplished in an unlimited number of ways. For example, by announcing an achievement your company is proud of, that presentation your CEO delivered at a conference, a profoundly market-relevant financial observation that gets quoted in the trade press, the new office that was opened in another city, a prominent addition to your staff - you name it.
One of my clients, ITC (Industrial Tax Consulting) in Houston, Tx, successfully employed an ad campaign on LinkedIn and Google to increase visibility and awareness of its services by targeting a selection of core markets. An expansion to additional geographical areas is planned. So far, ITC amassed more likes and maybe even more loves than ever before plus, more importantly, new business leads. All it took was smart planning and a message that hit home.
To be sure, not all social media are the right promotional tools for every business. In some instances, emailed newsletters, blogs, and regular website updates suffice. But you do have to ask yourself if your company is doing all it can to attract new business.
Why not take a cue from generation Z? Make some noise on the Internet. No dance moves necessary.