Ask Silver Bullet: March 2014

The first 'Ask Silver Bullet' advice column was published in North East Times magazine this month, this is what we had to say...
I imagine marketing agencies hear this question a lot, and the number of dedicated experts and companies that have launched in recent years certainly suggests that social media can grow your business. The answer as to how it does so however, isn’t exactly a straightforward one...

In recent years the introduction of new communications technologies has revolutionised the world of marketing. While traditional methods of raising awareness of a brand, product or service such as PR and print still remain effective, the introduction of newer communications technologies, enables us to significantly increase the reach of the message we send out to our customers.

With internet enabled mobile technology - such as smartphones, tablets and laptops - becoming increasingly affordable and accessible to consumers, the likelihood of your customer hearing your message via a digital platform is high, especially when you engage with them using more than one medium at once.

Social networks are exceptional platforms on which to keep interested parties up-to-date with what’s happening with your business in real time and in an informal setting. Whether you prefer Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram or even Google+, they enable you to build an informal relationship with your customers. Generally speaking, the better this relationship is, the more likely a customer will do business with you again and recommend you to a friend.

I think the single most important rule of effectively using social media to grow your business, is to keep it social.

It’s important to keep content fresh; make sure you update your profiles regularly and in an authentic voice; make sure you engage with people. A lot of people make the mistake of using social media solely for sending information one way rather than starting a dialogue, this is effectively talking at people and not waiting for their responses – it’s not very useful to anyone.  

While technically a free resource, using social media to grow a business takes time and dedication. The rewards for doing so however are limitless with significant return on investment, so if you’re going to do it – make sure you do it properly, there’s nothing sadder than an empty profile page.

Do you want to know more or do you have another marketing question we can help with? Is PR proving to be a nightmare? Or design doing your head in? Talk to us. Email your questions anonymously to us today hello@silverbulletmarketing.co.uk or Tweet us (not so anonymously) @SilverBulletPR and use the hash tag #AskSB