There are many forms of free marketing that businesses can use to attract consumers online. Businesses can take advantage of multiple free platforms that are offered online if they are ready to pay the other prices of creating and maintaining these free media outlets.
Social Media platforms for example are not easy to upkeep. To construct a social media account is simple initially but giving a member of a small business team the job of social media manager should absorb a large portion of their time to be worth it. Many older members of business are now starting to realize the importance of social media but honestly do not understand what it takes to create legitimate content.
For my internship this summer, I am tasked to help create and maintain the company that hired me’s social media accounts.Unfortunately for me, the company I am working for only sells doors and windows and expensive doors and windows at that. Something my boss and many other older business men and women neglect to realize is how difficult it is to keep up a social media account for a business like that. They have studied and learned online or in a book somewhere the unlimited possibilities of a good social media presence but fail to realize how little content there is available to publish that will actually cause consumers to follow the account.
For social media specifically, businesses should focus on what they could write content about within their business. Things like community events, philanthropic activity within the business, and other interesting content about the product and what you can do with it. In my company few people are that interested in doors and windows and even fewer people are interested enough to follow and keep up with a social media presence that is all about windows and doors.
Also, this business does not have a charitable cause they consistently donate to. They occasionally will donate to specific things within their community but unfortunately not enough to base a social media campaign around it. If this company had some sort of causal marketing to write about they could easily produce enough interesting content about whatever cause the charity they supports fights for.
This post was written for businesses that are thinking about picking up a few social media accounts and other free online platforms to fill their marketing portfolio. To waste an important employee’s time with attempting to create various posts that no one will ever see. Social media managers may be blamed but honestly i’ts at the fault of his or her boss(es) to understand that their business and business model does not fit the interesting content needed to create a follow-able social media account.
Free online platforms and social media accounts ARE great ways for businesses to hurdle their company forward in the minds of their customers but are not always necessary for all businesses and can prove to be a waste.