Businesses are fighting to stay in step with a new breed of sophisticated consumers. New forms of social media interactions and tools are springing up every day. A few years ago, smartphones were a novelty. According to a report published by Nielsen, smartphones account for 49.7% of all U.S. mobile phone ownership. Two years ago, the figure was 29 percent. The adoption of connected devices is narrowing the digital divide. While SEO is important, companies cannot ignore this shift and survive in a competitive business environment. The following guide will take you through new social media trends.
Location
Contents
The new buzzword in social media is location based applications, conversations, and services. A new study published by the Pew Research Center shows that 74% of smartphone owner’s access location based information. The number of people checking out location-based services has risen to 18%. Businesses can improve core competencies by leveraging these technologies. Location is quickly becoming a physical extension of the virtual social media environment. The same Pew Research Center report shows adoption of location services cutting across all age groups. This is good news for business owners who can target different niches with product and service offerings.
Metrics and Infographics
You can easily access invaluable metrics such as consumer spending habits, behavior, and demographics. In an age when everything is data driven, this can give your business a huge advantage over competitors. If your revenue model is driven by ecommerce, location is a key pillar. The cost of gathering this information is quite low. This makes quantitative and qualitative analysis very easy. There is a wide range of tools you can use to gather this information. Some of these tools are free while others require subscription before use. Measurement will enable you to optimize production and service delivery.
Social Media CRM
Social media networks boast of more than 1 billion members. This huge market consumes information at the same time. Businesses cannot engage consumers on social networking sites using traditional CRM methods. Start by identifying the major platforms visited by your consumers. The next step should be acquiring social CRM tools. Choose a CRM suite that incorporates consumer cultivation tools as well as enterprise tools. These will help you gather information and communicate with clients on different social media platforms. The rule of thumb is to learn how to listen, reach out, and handle consumer complaints. Ignoring negative conversations will only result in your consumers heading elsewhere. According to the Pew Internet Project, people aged between 18-49 years constitute the most active group on social networking sites. Most of these people have a household income of at least $30,000 per year.
Site Architecture
Many people focus on SEO and forget to measure site usability. Site users will leave as soon as the user experience deteriorates. Connecting with friends and relatives is the reason why most people use social media platforms. Women constitute 54% of all daily users with men trailing at 42%. These people tend to congregate around sites that provide a great user experience. If a site manages to pull many teens, the sites usability is ok. This is because 80% of teens between the ages of 12-17can be found on these sites. Social media buttons should work seamlessly with the target site making navigation a breeze. Businesses that use these horizontal and vertical communication channels establish undying customer loyalty. Your efforts should be geared towards effectiveness, innovation, and service delivery. Create a unique social media identity across all platforms. Avoid using a different handle on each site because this will result in confusion. It should be easy for customers to pick your product or service from the clutter of offerings being advertised.
About Brandon Leibowitz
