Author: Daniel Wesley / Source: Entrepreneur Leave it to a dating app to demonstrate the instant success a creative social media marketin
Leave it to a dating app to demonstrate the instant success a creative social media marketing approach can bring to a new business.
Tinder, the location-based dating service that facilitates matchups between interested parties, used a tactic best described as word-of-mouth advertising in a digital format to successfully launch its app.
In a recent podcast, Tinder co-founder and CEO Sean Rad revealed the company grew by 50 percent the day after texting 500 individuals a link to its app. That tactic and other word-of-mouth campaigns grew Tinder’s customer base from 20,000 to 500,000 users in less than a month.
To quickly reach and grow their own customer bases, entrepreneurs must embrace social media in all its forms. Social media’s free word-of-mouth quality can attract and engage potential customers at a stage in a company’s development when advertising budgets are often tight, and expenses carefully monitored.
When building a new business, attracting customers is imperative — and social media is a leading path to gathering and retaining loyal consumers.
Reach out and touch customers.
Consumers love to be engaged, equipped and empowered, says Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia. This makes them feel important, like they have a vested interest in the company. Consumers crave two-way interactions and are flattered to offer reviews of a company’s products or services.
Why should this matter to a small entrepreneur? Because every customer reached is a potential repeat customer who will tell others about a positive experience.
When a startup adopts social media marketing tactics that truly engage its customers, the benefits can be plentiful. The company likely will grow its customer base while spending less money on marketing, leaving more funds available to invest in higher salaries for employees and other areas of the business.
Social media marketing done right also helps businesses stay top of mind among their followers. Consumers will recall engaging content, helpful advice or humorous palaver. According to MarketingLand, consumers don’t want to be lectured or bombarded with ads. Good vibes toward a company result in trust, long-term loyalty and greater revenue.
Nielsen reports that 92 percent of global consumers identify earned media as their favorite form of advertising, primarily in the form of recommendations from friends and acquaintances. They trust companies that connect with them in genuine, captivating ways and want to establish relationships with them.
Shake up strategies to push the marketing status quo.
So how can entrepreneurs change their marketing strategies to create connections with customers and pack more social punch? Here are four tactics to try:
1. Register accounts on all major platforms.
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