Social Media Promotions – Are They Worth The Cost?
Social media networks give users the opportunity to promote themselves, their brands, and anything else they want to create a buzz about. The thing is, this promotion costs. In some cases, the price is reasonable. In others, not so much. Would you pay $800,000 for a month-long Facebook ad campaign, with “sponsored story” placement, reaching up to 161 million users in the United States? If you’re a small business owner, you probably do not make that much a year and the answer to the question is no. For corporations that can afford this price tag, the answer may be yes. Is it worth it? It could me. Of those 161 million users that the content is displayed to, half may pay attention to your ad. And it is possible that they will make a move and act on what it is you are offering them. But remember, this is not guaranteed.
YouTube charges half a million to display an auto-play video ad on their homepage for a day. The ad would reach more than 26 million unique users in the United States. That is a lot of people. You can reach 18 million US adults by paying $120,000 for a daylong-promoted Twitter trend.
These numbers can add up and increase the revenue your company brings in. But how many of these new consumers will you keep after the daylong promotion is over and done? To keep your clients engaged, a great tactic to use is the creation of dialogue on your social networks. These platforms were not made to sell products, but rather to keep the lines of communication flowing.
Here are two things you can do to keep your customers engaged:
1. Propose a Question of the Day: For business reasons, the question should relate to what your company does. If you sell ice cream, propose some off the wall flavors that you and your team are thinking about offering then ask your customers which ones they would actually try. If you held an event on Sunday evening, ask the people that like your Facebook fan page what their favorite part of the event was on Monday afternoon.
2. Run a weeklong giveaway: Post photo of a product your company will give away. For a week, people that like your page can comment about why they would be the best person to receive the product. This will create more likes, increase knowledge about your product, and add an incentive for people to talk about your brand.
The best way to get your clients to be loyal to your brand is to talk to them. Create a buzz on your terms. And if you can, keep some money in your pockets. Start your conversation today!
