Gone are the days when marketers think of the buyer’s journey as linear:
Stranger sees an ad for your business for the first time -> stranger clicks on ad -> and stranger then buys product or service.
Easy peasy.
Marketers have known this is a myth for years. We don’t even consider the funnel anymore; the industry has done well in adopting the flywheel methodology.
But even the flywheel doesn’t give us an accurate image of the buyer’s journey- when a more accurate depiction of a real-life buyer’s journey looks more like a plate of spaghetti.
The key here is that people have many touchpoints with a brand before making a decision and may even dance back and forth between ‘stages’ (i.e. awareness and consideration) you have carefully planned out through your strategies.
One of these touchpoints is social media. With the web only getting bigger and better, businesses can’t hide from the fact that social media is a major player in modern marketing strategies. I challenge you to think of one name brand that does not have a social media presence!
Let’s take a look at different social media touchpoints and where they sit on the flywheel:
- Attract – Want to reach new customers? Social media is a great tool to inform new people about your brand/product/service. The targeting tools on different platforms allow you to build audiences that resemble the personas you want to target.
- Engage –
- They are attracted to your offering but not convinced yet, so they have not bought. Now you have the chance to follow them up with reasons why they should purchase – via a retargeting ad on social.
- Or maybe they did purchase, and you want to let them know about the newest, latest model coming? Remarketing ads can make it happen.
- Maybe they added items to their basket but forgot to purchase? You guessed it – remarketing ads at your service.
3. Engage & Delight – Posting regularly on social media can benefit your business in many ways.
- Converting new customers to buyers – when a new prospect is looking into your brand, having an active and engaging profile will build trust in your company. It helps them understand who you are and more about what you do and can convince them to purchase either immediately or if they follow you and continue to see your updates over time.
- Delighting loyal customers – You can build a community online – customers love brands they feel they have a connection with and are more likely to buy again from these brands. You can also resolve any issues with orders much quicker when you are available via social media.
Moral of the story?
Don’t limit yourself when planning your marketing strategy by putting social in a corner. Remember that people usually need to have an average of 8 touchpoints with a business before committing to a service or purchase. Take control and ensure those touchpoints are happening with an integrated social media strategy.
Speak to the ExtraDigital team today to discuss the potential for your social media.
