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There is a global marketplace where you can engage with people, generate leads and increase brand awareness — social media. Facebook and Pinterest are two major players in social media that provide massive marketing and relationship-building opportunities for businesses. Keep reading to see how your business can use Facebook and Pinterest to create more conversions, establish online branding and continue to rapidly grow your business.
As of January 2014, Facebook had 757 million daily active users. These people could potentially become leads and loyal customers. In 2013, companies generating more than 1,000 Facebook likes also received about 1,400 website visits a day, according to inbound marketing and sales platform Hubspot.
Lead conversion rates from social media are 13 percent higher than the average lead conversion rate. Social intelligence firm Syncapse adds that 85 percent of fans of Facebook company pages recommend brands to others. Without a strong and active Facebook presence, you're missing out on opportunities for attracting customers, enhancing engagement and developing brand trust. Here's how to maximize those Facebook opportunities.
- Contests: Contests, sweepstakes, giveaways, special discounts — any type of perk or incentive will retain your local fans and attract new ones. The thrill of competition and winning a grand prize entices people. Promote a new product or service by creating a contest and using buzz words like "free," "limited time offer," and "chance to win" in your posts.
- User-Generated Content: A user-generated content (UGC) marketing campaign can boost your brand and enhance customer engagement. A landscaping company can invite fans to upload photos of their quirkiest lawn decoration to win a yard makeover. A non-profit organization can ask followers to share a personal story with a photo as part of an online feature series. Post a story each day to foster conversation and grow your fanbase through likes and shares, which also serve as social endorsements.
- Content & Trust: Facebook is a space where you can post content as a marketing tool for interacting with your audience and establishing trust. If you're a retail site, for example, connect with your customers by sharing a post about online shopping safety tips to show you have your customers' best interest in mind. Respond to dialogue surrounding your post, and your thoughts and opinions will increase your brand's credibility.
Among the 70 million Pinterest users, 500,000 are business accounts, as of summer 2013. Not only is it a visual community for topics on fashion, food and parenting, it's a social space for businesses to brand themselves, drive website traffic and build quality relationships with their audience.
Users (not brands) generate 70 percent of brand engagement on Pinterest, according to global marketing and technology agency Digitas. More than 80 percent of U.S. online consumers trust information on Pinterest, thus strengthening the business-to-consumer relationship. Use Pinterest to achieve your business goals in the following ways.
- Branding: Think of Pinterest users and your followers as brand advocates. "Brand advocates share your content passionately and consistently," explains Social Media Today. Customers share favorite retail products, whereas industry experts share valuable information. For example, if you post an infographic about the environment or sustainability and followers re-share your pin, your brand awareness grows.
- Website Traffic: Pins serve as visual calls-to-action to make a purchase or learn more about a company. Digital agency Rapid Boost lists 10 effective Pinterest tools that help drive traffic, including PinAlerts to measure content performance, Pinalyzer to improve pin relevancy, Pinleague to quickly grow a following, and Pinreach to analyze trending topics.
- Relationships: Because Pinterest is an image-driven social site, it has a visually arresting quality and a high level of shareability, which draws in people. Colosi Marketing explains Pinterest serves as a brand humanizing tool that leads to strengthened, trusting client relationships. You can use Pinterest to reveal the office culture and authenticity of your company with fun photos that followers can connect with. Also, actively participate in your Pinterest community with re-shares and post pins regularly. Cross-promote your pins on Facebook and Twitter for increased exposure.
This has been a guest post via Social Monsters
