The last few weeks have been packed with information about inbound marketing. We have covered the definition of inbound marketing, how inbound and outbound marketing differ, the outlets for inbound marketing, and the inbound marketing methodology Flywheel. The last two weeks featured posts about attracting and engaging with customers. We have finally made it to the final step in the Inbound Marketing Flywheel: delighting customers.
Most articles covering inbound marketing include only two short paragraphs on this topic, whereas the attract and engage steps of the Flywheel include several long paragraphs. This is a shame because delighting your customers is just as vital in the process as the other two steps. Delighting customers leads to increased long-term customers, ROR, and brand awareness. The primary outlet used for delighting customers is social media.
Planning for each Platform
Each social media platform is different in its use and purpose, and understanding those differences is needed for utilizing each platform. When assessing each platform, it is important to ask questions like, “Why am I using this platform?”, “Who will I reach with this platform?”, and “How will my posts be unique to this platform?”. Your company should do significant research in order to decide how each social media platform will be used.
Social media provides platforms for your customers to ask questions and interact with your brand. Customers are able to share your content, comment on your posts, and react to your posts. Three important ways that your company can use social media to increase brand awareness are through surveys, call to action, and trends.
Surveys
Surveys are helpful for your brand whether given through social media or through other platforms. If your company wants to know what your customers want, a survey is an effective way to seek answers. It seems simple, but if you want to know what your customers are thinking, ask them! Additionally, after your customers respond, show them that you are working to implement their feedback. Just asking them for their opinion will not help you fulfill their needs.
By putting out surveys, you are also seeing the areas where your company is doing well. Happy customers will respond positively when given a survey, while disappointed customers will share their negative feedback when prompted by a survey. Social media platforms are a minefield of opinions, and users do not hold back from expressing theirs.
Call to Action (CTA)
CTAs prompt your customers to do something. For instance, CTAs on social media include “Follow us on Twitter!”, “Share with your colleagues!”, and “Please Retweet!”. CTAs must be direct, expressive, and obvious; your customers need to know exactly what you want them to do and how they need to do it.
Businesses are not the only ones who use CTAs. They are also commonly used by YouTubers and Tik Tok creators to increase their content and persona. The most common creator CTA is “Like, comment, and subscribe!” Essentially, content creators’ brands are themselves, so they must increase their own brand awareness.
While CTAs are effective, they can easily be overwhelming. There is a sweet spot between not enough and too many CTAs. This sweet spot must be achieved to deliver clear instructions for your customers.
Trends
Depending on your brand’s target audience, social media trends can be helpful tools to connect with your consumers. Trends are specifically useful on Tik Tok.
Tik Tok invites all kinds of people and businesses to make videos on their platform; there is an audience for any and all types of content. Using popular sounds and participating in trending challenges on Tik Tok will boost brand awareness for your company. A balance of creating trendy content and staying true to your brand must be maintained, however. It is a difficult balance, but rewarding if done well.
If your company does not want to have a Tik Tok account, consider partnering with a trending creator. This creator will share about your company and provide a link to your website or other social media accounts, therefore increasing brand awareness.
Why Delight?
Implementing social media into your inbound marketing strategy increases brand awareness, ROR, and the likelihood of customers returning to your company. Delighting your customers prompts them to become your brand’s ambassadors. If they like what they see, they will tell their friends, which increases brand awareness.
Speaking of social media, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin! For more information on inbound marketing core concepts, be sure to check out our blog for weekly new content. Like us? Let us know. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
About:
Bridge Leadership is a consulting company that exists to bridge
the gap between companies and their target audience through inbound marketing
thought leadership. Run by Boyce College students Ana Lee, Lara Tanner, Maddie
Gardner, and Cassidy Cornett, this company is created by students for a class
group project.
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