Currently, only two out of ten companies have a strategy in social networks, according to a study conducted by the consulting firm Gartner. Many companies have launched into the 2.0 world, without knowing very well how to act. Your brand is exposed and can be the center of comments, criticisms and unfortunate mentions. In the best of cases, users can address it to raise any issue, so companies must have prepared a strategy in social networks.
From off to on. Moving from the offline medium to the online medium does not consist in pressing a button. You can not apply the same actions you have been using in conventional marketing. Here, your only goal is not to sell, without trying to open a door to the conversation and let the customers pass. It depends on you that your actions can create a favorable attitude towards the brand in the clients; fall into absolute indifference, or even develop a strong opposition to it.
See, hear and act. The companies have given the floor to the clients, they no longer have the singing voice. Users have more experience in the 2.0 medium, have occupied a dominant position and do not intend to give up the command. Companies must learn to move in this new field, coexist with this new form of power. Wherever you go, do what you see. A good technique is to investigate the way your target audience acts, learn from their movements and get to know them. It is also necessary to be aware of everything that may affect the brand and its sector, monitoring all mentions in this regard. Once you know your environment and you know who you are going to, you will be able to draw a plan according to the circumstances.
Answer me slowly, I’m in a hurry. Social Media favors the approach between the company and its customers. This new medium is also characterized by the speed in the transmission of information; the conversation can take place perfectly in real time. Users use the new channels to address companies, which must be prepared to act. The answer should not be made to wait, but this does not mean that it has to be improvised, it has to satisfy the expectations of the users, offering a useful solution; so companies must show reactivity. Each requirement by the customers is a test of fire, which can allow the company to win whole for the user, or, on the contrary, lose the confidence that this has placed on the brand.
Patience is the mother of science. Success in social networks does not come from one day to the next. Harvest the fruits of your online performances is a matter of time and effort. You have to start the planned actions in your strategy and know how to wait. Your community will not go from 50 to 1000 followers in the blink of an eye. But if you take care of those 50 followers, you feed their interest towards the brand, you offer attractive content and encourage their interactivity; little by little your confidence in the brand will be strengthened, your community will consolidate and increase in size; most importantly, it will grow in quality.
Definitely, launching Social Media without strategy is like jumping into the void without a parachute, you run the serious danger of leaving very badly stopped.