Can Facebook be a resource for increasing corporate notoriety? The experts’ answers are many, obviously not all the same, although (perhaps) a common ground that brings everyone together exists: the most popular social network in the world, represents, at least in Italy, a marketing tool that is not fully exploited as it should.
Not by everyone at least! Taking a snapshot of the current scenario, two (personal) observations can be made:
- Social media are tools whose potential is still partly unexplored or, in some cases, unknown in corporate marketing strategies.
- The new generations of consumers, but some of them already are, will be those of “digital natives.” This is why social networks will increasingly be a strategic tool for any marketer.
Revolution in social sauce.
How are customers’ purchasing decisions changing?
Until a few years ago when we had to buy, let’s cite an example, a dress, we would flip through a trade magazine to see the “coolest” ads of the moment. Or we would let ourselves be persuaded by our trusted shopkeeper.
All still valid practices today, clear.But the digital revolution has shifted within the “vast stage of the web” the gathering of information by consumers. That is, that stage that anticipates an eventual act of purchase. And social, Facebook in particular because of its spread, thanks to the immediate impact they have (just think of their free use, the speed in scrolling through news, the continuous updating of news, the instantaneousness in being able to interact and read the opinions of others, including those of experts, the participation in social contests) push, often, a person to “take a ride” on Facebook before making a purchase.
And then now, with the spread of smartphones, it often happens that it is the news with its “flow” that comes looking for us, not the other way around!In short, if a company uses social to write a single post from time to time it probably won’t do much good. And it certainly won’t facilitate the Lead Nurturing process towards the potential customer who needs to be “pampered,” stimulated, made to participate.
In a word, known.Because creating a “personalized” contact is the best card to play to encourage purchase. Here, when we were talking about not yet fully explored potential for businesses, we were referring to this.
Marketing Automation
To initiate “targeted” and “specific” actions toward potential consumers, with significant time savings for the company and greater accuracy, the Marketing Automation can prove a decidedly useful tool for finalizing that conversion process that goes “from interest to purchase” of a certain product. Automation tools aim to “channel” rather than dissipate energy and to tailor, just as a good tailor would, a specific message to a user. One needs to know one’s audience in order to then be able to “tailor” communication. This is one of the salient goals of Marketing Automation. As well as the first step in bringing the word “potential” closer to the word “real.”
