It’s no secret that social media marketing is the way forward for many brands. It’s easy to use, it has a low cost price and most importantly, it works. In fact, engaging with your customers in the digital age has never been easier thanks to social media. But just how well are you using it? Despite the fact that it is still cheap, more and more social media platforms have been cashing in on the fact that business owners rely on them. You may have already experienced this with the Facebook ‘boost post’ feature, where you have to pay money to reach out to your clients. Or, if you run a YouTube channel, you may have fallen victim to the recent anti-monetization scheme. Whatever your situation is, you may have fallen out of love with traditional forms of social media. But, there are plenty of smaller, lesser known types of online media can benefit you just as much.
Snapchat
You might have heard of Snapchat when it was first released in 2011. Back then, it was considered a bit of a strange app for people who wanted to send private photographs to others. However, since then the format has changed entirely. Snapchat now has around 100 million users every month – and some of those users are businesses. You may wonder what benefits a photo and video sharing app could have for your business, especially when said photos and videos only last a number of seconds. But, the beauty of Snapchat is that you can interact with your customers in real time, and give them a ‘behind the scenes’ look at your company. This feeling of exclusivity is an excellent asset for creating more customers. You can also purchase your own Snapchat filters for customers to use. If you are hosting an event, this is a priceless form of marketing as your logo will be seen by hundreds of people.
Similarly to Snapchat, Pinterest often comes under a few misconceptions. Many people think it is a place just for twenty-somethings to lust over interior design and hairstyles. Wrong! Pinterest recently developed a business feature, meaning that the website/app is now made up of personal AND business profiles. Customers are very visually influenced, and Pinterest is a great way to tune into this kind of need. Create boards that represent your company or that hint at a new venture you are about to take on. Engaging with other influencers on Pinterest can too help you reach a wider audience.
Yelp
Now, at first glance Yelp.com might seem a little old school. There are a lot of review sites which have overtaken it in recent years, such as Tripadvisor. But, unless you are a working in the hospitality or tourism sector, Yelp is still worth looking into. It gets over 139 individual visitors every month, who can leave reviews for and interact with your business. There may already be a page set up miscellaneously in your business’s name, so if this is the case you can ‘claim’ it back. Yelp is a great way to interact with your clients and settle any complaints or queries they may have. They also have an app so you can take care of business on the go.
