Flipping through old magazines is a hobby that tends to spark curiosity, especially because they hold unusual information that makes us think and “update ourselves” without meaning to. A key feature of these publications was their advertisements, which used to sell a product or service with heavy text and large photographs, giving it a distinctive character.
Our reality shows us that in the market — which is no longer just local but also global — big corporations coexist with those small, medium and micro businesses that are becoming increasingly important to the economy, and which, far from costly ads, have social media within reach to grow their business.
According to Peru's National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI), there are almost 2 million companies in Peru, of which 99.6% are micro, small and medium-sized. By activity, 44.4% of microenterprises sell goods, while 16.2% provide administrative, support and personal services.
With social media as an ally, a growing brand that wants to keep building its positioning can expand its reach, keeping in mind that 78% of people trust word-of-mouth recommendations, get immediate feedback, and stay on top of the latest trends in their category.
Is your brand focused on positioning itself and expanding its reach? Read these 5 tips to boost your social media presence and grow your business.
- Ongoing monitoring. Listening to and analyzing the market, the competition and your own brand on social media, running searches on topics and keywords similar to the product you sell, is key when betting on an online presence. This is a good way to find out what interests your audience. An important tip is to keep an eye on online tools that let you spot the keywords used on the top search engines.
- Optimize your content. It's a good idea to include keywords in your posts, since content gets indexed by search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) and on social media, which makes your brand easy to find.
- Social media as a business ally. Running special offers through social media not only generates more interest in your posts and products, but also aims to bring in those community members who don't know your brand yet, encouraging them to become part of your customer network.
- Build trust. Don't sell, communicate. Take part in conversations and earn your followers' trust; it's much easier to listen to customers' needs and then offer them a solution. Bringing the customer-provider relationship to a “human” level is key.
- Don't generate spam or junk mail. The best way to reach potential customers isn't by flooding social networks with ads — this activity, known as spam, isn't appreciated by internet users; instead, create original content. A valid option is to use “memes,” creative and original images, to attract users.