Specialize Social Media Efforts For Your Target Industry…
If you’ve ever wondered how well social media works for your particular industry segment and how your competitors are using social media, we offer information on five broad industry segments that are reaping benefits from their involvement in social media and how you can implement their ideas into your social media marketing plan:
- The entertainment and sports industry: It’s obvious from seeing the news that these two industries have embraced social media. Actors and sports figures have seen their videos and tweets go viral and individuals in these segments have helped contribute to the spread of social media. Those in the entertainment industry have found creative ways to market their brands/themselves to reach the masses.
- Advertising and marketing: Marketing and advertising gurus know that they have to be on the cutting edge when it comes to social media – they need to be involved in the latest and greatest even if it’s a fad that won’t last as long as it takes to build a profile page. Individuals in these industries know that they can’t always be “selling” to their followers and fans. Good marketing doesn’t base its success on only the sell, it bases success on building a need within the market so they have to have your goods or services. Social media allows advertising and marketing professionals the opportunity to interact with the end user, the potential client and with current clients. Listening to what these people have to say can help increase sales, provide insight into what is, and isn’t working, and allow them to modify their approach. Social media is a way to build your brand and provides customers information so they get to know, like and trust you and will feel comfortable working with you or buying from you.
- The finance industry: Even though this is a highly-regulated industry, even this market sector has been moving toward a more active role in social media marketing. Through the use of social media, finance industry professionals can identify customers for their products, offer information on how to apply for loans, surface-level advice on investing and to help launch new products.
- The healthcare sector: If your hospital has invested in cutting-edge technology or has access to the latest and greatest medicine to treat a particular illness or is involved in clinical trial testing, what better way to spread the word than through the use of social media? Creating awareness of what is happening both within the healthcare industry as a whole as in your particular local hospital in general is one way that social media can help a hospital build its brand. If a hospital is welcoming a new doctor or a new medical practice to its staff, they can Tweet about it. In some cases, hospitals are providing healthcare forums through social media platforms in which they will answer general health questions from consumers. Consider if there is a local disease outbreak or other health concern, the local medical professionals can spread the word through its social media platform.
- Realtors: Whether an individual realtor or a real estate firm, social media is the perfect platform to showcase houses, market a particular area for travel and tourism purposes, offer advice on what to look for in a rental property or provide hints and tips for showcasing a home for sale, social media can reach an audience you simply might not reach through the use of direct mail pieces or newspaper advertising. Realtors know they can provide hints, tips and other advice and they will become known as the real estate industry expert. Imagine, a real estate agent partnering with a swimming pool maintenance provider, a carpet cleaner, house painter, moving company or any other service professional could potentially be involved in a move and you can see how easily a realtor can grow her network and her potential reach.
- Social media: Also a great tool for internal communications. If a company has a public Facebook page, for example, it can set up a closed group on Facebook as a way to communicate with its employees. Rather than sending individual emails with company-wide announcements, make the news known on your social media platform. Social media, in closed groups, are also useful for employee recognition programs, company-wide contests and myriad other uses.
Regardless of the industry in which you’re involved – from dog grooming to insurance to accounting services and department stores – social media can be effectively utilized as a way to grow expand your reach.
