JUSTIFYING SOCIAL MEDIA: GET YOUR COWORKERS ON BOARD
People are skeptical. Can social media be validated beyond a millennial’s pastime? Is it really pivotal to the overall marketing plan? According to the Chief Revenue Officer of Rival IQ, Nathan Cowen, social media is the most direct pipeline to the consumer. In one of Cowen’s recent webinars called “Justifying Social Media,” he explains how to turn social media skeptics into proponents for the marketing tool. We feel it is pertinent to heed his advice.
What is the best route for making the social media case? Cowen emphasizes connecting social efforts to broader company objectives. Do this by demonstrating how social media drives revenue. The #1 way to increase investment in social is to tie it back to retention of customers which causes rise in revenue. Because social has become the modern-day billboard, as Cowen puts, it holds powerful potential to increase engagement, solidify reputation and foster quick communications. Social media is an “air cover,” Cowen says, “it establishes constant awareness within your audience so you are in front of them the moment they are making a purchase decision or beginning to evaluate a solution that you can provide.”
Explaining social media’s ability to promote a brand will help sway hesitant employees. While initially adopting and maintaining a social presence is important, the metrics procured from each site are what will kindle excitement among fellow staff members. Awareness, reach, impression, engagement, traffic and conversions. The whole shebang served on a silver platter! These metrics will link social efforts to tangible results and outcomes and justify social media marketing tactics. Moreover, Cowen explains that a social media profile helps build credibility because it shows they are constantly aware, active and ready to connect. It eradicates any sense of staleness or stagnancy.
Furthermore, social media is a gateway for competitive benchmarking. Social platforms allow brands to peer into their competitor’s strategies and garner a baseline understanding of how they operate and what makes them improve. Is the competition acquiring a sudden burst of engagement (probably as a result of boosted posts)? Are they utilizing, and succeeding with, channels you hadn’t thought to use. Can those platforms also enhance your efforts? Social media is one of the easiest outlets to view other brand’s systems and techniques and make comparative measures, learning how they are fueling and igniting activity with the target audience.
At Black Oak Creative, we live and breath social media because we understand how effective it is as a marketing apparatus. However, we realize that not every platform will work for every company. We take the time to decipher which channel will hit clients’ customers smack in the forehead. We then manage the brand, voice and personality To a T by knowing the nuances of each platform. Cowen conveys that the saying, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” is a huge mistake with social. Audiences migrate to different social channels for different reasons. Thus, there is nothing petty about posting on social. It takes great attention to detail and understanding of the audience.
All in all the biggest take away from Cowen’s webinar is this…if you are passionate about social media (because you know it’s powerful), take the time to education fellow employees on its potency and ability to contribute to the overall strategy of the company in a very cost-effective manner. Follow it up with concrete data. Communicate the metrics and show the growth. Shine the light and they won’t be able to resist it.
What is the best route for making the social media case? Cowen emphasizes connecting social efforts to broader company objectives. Do this by demonstrating how social media drives revenue. The #1 way to increase investment in social is to tie it back to retention of customers which causes rise in revenue. Because social has become the modern-day billboard, as Cowen puts, it holds powerful potential to increase engagement, solidify reputation and foster quick communications. Social media is an “air cover,” Cowen says, “it establishes constant awareness within your audience so you are in front of them the moment they are making a purchase decision or beginning to evaluate a solution that you can provide.”
Explaining social media’s ability to promote a brand will help sway hesitant employees. While initially adopting and maintaining a social presence is important, the metrics procured from each site are what will kindle excitement among fellow staff members. Awareness, reach, impression, engagement, traffic and conversions. The whole shebang served on a silver platter! These metrics will link social efforts to tangible results and outcomes and justify social media marketing tactics. Moreover, Cowen explains that a social media profile helps build credibility because it shows they are constantly aware, active and ready to connect. It eradicates any sense of staleness or stagnancy.
Furthermore, social media is a gateway for competitive benchmarking. Social platforms allow brands to peer into their competitor’s strategies and garner a baseline understanding of how they operate and what makes them improve. Is the competition acquiring a sudden burst of engagement (probably as a result of boosted posts)? Are they utilizing, and succeeding with, channels you hadn’t thought to use. Can those platforms also enhance your efforts? Social media is one of the easiest outlets to view other brand’s systems and techniques and make comparative measures, learning how they are fueling and igniting activity with the target audience.
At Black Oak Creative, we live and breath social media because we understand how effective it is as a marketing apparatus. However, we realize that not every platform will work for every company. We take the time to decipher which channel will hit clients’ customers smack in the forehead. We then manage the brand, voice and personality To a T by knowing the nuances of each platform. Cowen conveys that the saying, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” is a huge mistake with social. Audiences migrate to different social channels for different reasons. Thus, there is nothing petty about posting on social. It takes great attention to detail and understanding of the audience.
All in all the biggest take away from Cowen’s webinar is this…if you are passionate about social media (because you know it’s powerful), take the time to education fellow employees on its potency and ability to contribute to the overall strategy of the company in a very cost-effective manner. Follow it up with concrete data. Communicate the metrics and show the growth. Shine the light and they won’t be able to resist it.
