50% of SMEs have increased their presence on social networks. What about you?

 

Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram... Social networks are omnipresent in our daily lives as entrepreneurs. Many managers are still reluctant to develop a social presence, arguing that the company is selling through conventional channels. 

 

Indeed, 37% of VSE/SME managers have a poor understanding of the challenges of digital technology. Not integrating social networks into your sales strategy, including in b2b, is a mistake, because Internet users, your prospects and customers, talk about your company, with or without you. To compensate for this deafness, 50% of SMEs have decided to take the plunge and develop their presence on the networks by integrating it as a tool in its own right in their development strategy. We explain why.

 

Manage your e-reputation

91% of Internet users think that buyers' opinions are the number one vector in their purchasing decision.

 

Social networks are the showcase for your business. They are places of expression that allow you to highlight your offer but also the vision, values and missions of your company. These social media also offer the possibility for your customers to share their experiences with your products or services, to express their satisfaction or on the contrary their dissatisfaction.

 

Opinions that count, since they are consulted by 88% of Internet users before the act of purchase, i.e. by 88% of your prospects.

 

Being present on the social networks where your customers express themselves allows you to moderate their reactions, to appreciate their positive feedback and to react to the negatives showing your ability to listen and your desire to improve, which increases your sympathy capital.

 

Initiate dialogue, discuss with prospects and engage them.

 

Implementingcommunity management and reacting to feedback from dissatisfied customers is a new way to manage your customer service, whatever your sector of activity. In fact, 62% of buyers have already used social media to challenge a brand's customer service. Internet users expect responsiveness and availability from a brand, in fact, your presence on social networks gives them the feeling that you are listening to them 7 days a week.

 

In addition, social networks allow you toengage with your prospects and customers in a more "friendly" way than you would normally do. In this way, you learn a little more about your prospects' expectations and needs while creating a bond with them through the exchange. You are able to set up more adapted offers and you are better memorized.

 

Finally, in addition to reacting to mentions from your prospects/customers, publishing attractive content allows you to benefit from the commitment of your community and therefore, e-word of mouth. You benefit from greater visibility among your prospects.

 

Increase traffic to your website, improve its referencing

 

Thanks to "social media" you increase the visibility of your website by sharing your articles and your latest news. These shares contribute to improve the natural referencing of your website on search engines. This will allow your website to gain positions in Google results.

 

Contribute to the growth of your business

 

70% of companies with online visibility of their products or services have acquired a customer base via Facebook.

 

Social networks not only improve your website's referencing and your notoriety, they also generate leads.

 

If your prospect has visited your page and arrives on your website it is because you have captured his attention and intrigued him. He is already interested in what you do and what you have to offer. The structure, content and ergonomics of your site will then convince him or her to make a purchase: among 79% of online sellers who use Facebook, 30% measure a positive impact and note a 5% increase in their turnover.

 

Key steps to get started on social networks

 

Before you start working on social networks you need to establish the strategy you want to implement on these platforms:

 

  • Human Resources: how much time can you allocate to social networking, and who among your employees?
  • Objectives: what are you looking for on social networks? Increase your sales, create a link with your prospects?
  • Targets: Who do you want to talk to?
  • Positioning: what positioning would you like to have on social networks? What image do you want to return?
  • Editorial charter: what tone should be used: humour, seriousness, affects it?
  • Editorial calendar: what content to post? When? What are the consequences?

 

Then you have to choose on which social media you want to launch, according to your goals:

 

  • Facebook: the world's leading social network in terms of number of users and time spent, groups together all socio-professional categories, offers various tools for exchanging with your prospects.
  • Twitter: social network that feeds and evolves in real time, very often resembles a media because it allows a wide and rapid dissemination of information.
  • Instagram: the most visual social network for surfing photo and mini-video trends, reaching several million people from different SPCs.
  • LinkedIn: the first professional network, allows you to communicate directly with your peers by adopting a "professional-to-professional" approach.
  • YouTube: video-centric media, allows to offer attractive and animated content to prospects and to increase its visibility and its ability to be remembered (see our article on video)
  • Snapchat: the most popular social network today, relies on the immediacy and immateriality of content.

 

Autour de l'image accompanies you in the development of your digital presence.

 

With you, we develop the most appropriate strategy for the development of your presence on social networks, then we implement it and guarantee the creation, animation and moderation of your social networks in accordance with your vision and values.

 

About the author

Philippe Rigault

Philippe Rigault is the founding President of the agency Autour de l'Image. He assists clients in the development and animation of their communication strategy, combining advice, creativity, mentoring and common sense. Autour de l'Image is a global communication agency that simplifies the life of entrepreneurs. It brings together all the communication and marketing skills needed to develop sales and brand awareness.

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