Obviously, at Tell Tale Ink we come at this with some bias – we think social media can help almost any business speak directly with customers, building a deeper connection than is possible with traditional marketing. In fact, we don’t even like to think of what we do as marketing – it’s a conversation with customers that builds loyalty, expands your customer base and keeps you top of mind.
But we understand that businesses want more than promises – you want proof that investing in social media is going to do more than qualify you for a Shorty Award for Best Tweet. In the coming months, here and on our blog we’ll share our success stories of the businesses we’re working with.
Completely new to social media? Click here for our Social Media primer.
Over the last year, companies large and small have already seen results that have made them Social Media believers. One of the biggest is Pepsi. Pepsi is such a devotee that it killed its planned Super Bowl ad this year in favor of spending $20 million on Social Media marketing.
So what does Pepsi know that you don’t?
Pepsi created interactive campaigns on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social networks that allowed customers to help the soda giant pick its next Mountain Dew flavor. Pepsi learned that by not just marketing to customers, but engaging them, it could develop a unique dialog with fans never before possible.
So maybe you’re not Pepsi. Yet. Bigger businesses aren’t the only ones benefiting from social media marketing. About 25% of small business owners plan to spend more on social network marketing in 2010, according to the Ad-ology Small Business Marketing Forecast.
Why? It’s where customers are. Consumers are following businesses they frequent on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks as a way to keep up on the latest deals and happenings. Finding out about sales and deals is the top reason consumers gave for following companies online, according to a December 2009 MarketingSherpa survey. But consumers are also following to learn about new products and services, the survey found.
So who are these consumers? And are they really buyers or are they just young kids? The short answer is it depends on the social network. But, it’s not just the domain of the very young. According to a recent iStrategy survey:
50% of Facebook users fall between the ages of 18-34.
28% are between ages 35-54
Now consider this: 350 million people are registered on Facebook and 175 million of them log in to the site everyday. Why not be there when they do, alerting them to the latest deals in store, upcoming events and other friendly reminders that keep your business on their radar?
That’s what Tell Tale Ink is here for. We help you choose the right social media strategy so that your business is where your consumers hang out. We put you in the conversation.
To be part of our success story, give us a call or shoot us an email.
