Client Relationship Management (CRM) software is ever-evolving and improving. With so much technology at your disposal and fingertips, where do you begin and how do you put it all into a cohesive strategy?
Why Use Salesforce
The options today for a CRM platform are numerous, but Salesforce continues to revolutionize and be the industry standard. With a multitude of tools, Salesforce can aid in all aspects of your business.
Whether your business lacks a systematic process or could improve upon its current processes, CRM brings greater insight and better organization to operations. It does this by keeping track of client interactions and sales data in ways such as managing leads, contacts, opportunities, and cases, as well as packs powerful means to aid in marketing and sales.
The Benefits of Salesforce Implementations
Salesforce can streamline your project management, automate processes, and provide you with more data for better analytics.
How does CRM software make your business more efficient?
Communication with clients and handoffs between departments become elevated with Salesforce. CRM creates a 360-degree view of leads, giving companies the ability to measure where a lead came from and prioritize it based on its most current information. Similarly, on the client communication side of things, sending contact forms and contract renewals via automation are just a couple of examples of routine processes that can collect data more efficiently. This type of project management saves your team time, so they can focus on areas that will bring more value to products and/or services.
What does automation do for optimizing operations?
No matter how adept or organized the worker is, human error happens occasionally. Client data is often loaded with contact information, project notes and documents, and deliverables with deadlines. With Salesforce’s capabilities, errors that can occur with these procedures and data-capturing systems can be reduced by automation and free up your personnel to take on more clients without a decrease in quality.
Additionally, time management and scheduling become easier with Salesforce integrations. From assembling a list of current leads for a weekly meeting or sending out a renewal document when a contract is ending, CRM can automate it.
What can access to more data do for your business?
As these technologies gather an impressive amount of data, companies are allowed to conduct detailed examinations of what is working or not working for their business. It can show in a quantifiable way which aspects of a marketing or sales strategy are valuable. To expand on this, companies can evaluate the ROI on a specific campaign, which contributes to the overall strategy of future campaigns.
Bringing It All Together
“CRM, along with every other facet of marketing, is one of many cogs in a wheel that, ultimately, have to work seamlessly together to produce a great product.”
Joseph Grano, Next-Mark’s President and Founder
Although the data collected from CRM and the analytics it provides is no doubt valuable, it’s important to recognize that this information and these numbers are just that without a savvy team to analyze and implement strategies based on them.
The integrations Salesforce possesses can be overwhelming and complex, so it may be in a company’s best interest to enlist an expert to maximize the benefits of implementation.
Helping Navigate and ImplementSalesforce to the Fullest
At Next-Mark, we are a certified Salesforce Partner, which makes us especially skilled in finding the best ways of integrating the software into your business. CRM technology can do wonders for increasing your bottom line if you know what you are looking for and how to properly develop effective strategies from it.
If you feel our capabilities could help you, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Get in touch at 941.544.2765 or email us.
The first quarter of 2023 at Next-Mark has been a time of new client growth, addition of new team members and important milestones for our business.
Off to a Great Start!
The first quarter of 2023 at Next-Mark has been a time of new client growth, the addition of new team members, and important milestones for our business.
I cannot credit our team enough for their hard work, dedication, and invaluable ingenuity. Despite the satisfaction and pride that comes with all the recognition, we are nowhere near finished in our endeavors to grow and push the envelope.
We are pleased to present our 2023 LookBook! The LookBook not only highlights the incredible partnerships we have fostered but showcases Next-Mark’s exceptional and far-reaching creative capabilities.
Next-Mark Earns a Company Record of 17 American Advertising Federation ADDY® Awards
The 2022 awards span multiple categories that directly impacted the success of Next-Mark’s diverse clients. The categories of excellence we were recognized in included: integrated marketing campaigns, video, ambient media, branded content, and digital media, among others.
The Next-Mark team continues to be committed to delivering impactful creative content driven by a strategic business approach. To be recognized by our peers is a testament to our results-driven process, as well as the dedication of our team in delivering exceptional work on behalf of our clients.
The Beirut Peacekeepers Memorial Ceremony
Next-Mark is beyond grateful to have played a part in such a beautiful day honoring the veterans of Beirut and celebrating the groundbreaking of The Beirut Peacekeepers Memorial. Being able to orchestrate the media day on behalf of our clients Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors and Willis Smith Construction felt like such an honor in getting the coverage an event like this deserves. The amount of support, love, and connectivity within this community couldn’t be more transparent in moments like these.
As it was said many times that day, “Never forget, and always remember the peacekeepers of Beirut.”
We’re Only Getting Started
Here at Next-Mark, we will continue to take on new challenges and embrace creative risks. We look forward to what the rest of the year will bring.
If you would like to collaborate with us, we would love to hear from you!
Social Media is still at the forefront of an integrated marketing communications strategy. The struggle is real, as businesses continue to be challenged by their positioning within the social media ecosystem. Whether your goal is the be a social media influencer, an industry thought leader, or a go-to resource for information and news, we are here to help. For many businesses, social media can seem like an afterthought that’s too far removed from their service offering or product to be worth the effort. It’s confusing, it’s always changing, and there’s rarely a straight line between social media content and revenue. But social media is a “front door” to your business, often the first thing prospective clients and employees see when deciding if your “brand” speaks to them. That’s why it’s important that your social media channels have curb appeal, structure, and thought put into the way your organization’s story is told in real-time. We have partnered with numerous organizations across business categories in optimizing their social media within the context of their overall marketing direction. We are always happy to provide an audit of your social media and provide solutions to optimize your efforts. Let us know if we can help.
– Joseph Grano
President and Founder, Next-Mark
Here are 7 tips to help make your social media make sense and maximize your brand.
BE ORGANIC While branded content helps drive a consistent, professional message to your audience, too much-branded content can make your organization or business appear boring. You can make your brand more personable and approachable by mixing in posts that feature team members out in the field or showcase a slice of life at the office. Remember, it’s social media, and organic posts often drive more audience engagement than branded content.
Curate “Evergreen” Posts But it’s all about balance! That branded content we mentioned earlier is an important part of driving your core messaging. It’s where you can repeat themes related to your mission, vision, service offerings, and more. The “evergreen” in “evergreen posts” refers more specifically to the fact that these posts aren’t tied to any specific date. They’re broad and are viable at any time, as opposed to organic content which is more “in the now.”
Video is King Simply put, a video plays on an even greater amount of emotional appeal than a single image. In a well-produced 15-second video, an organization can capture a client’s journey, express their values, and speak directly to their target market without even adding a voiceover. But even with “organic” videos shot on a decent smartphone, they simply get more clicks, views, and engagement because they force scrollers to stop and pay attention.
Fostering Creativity A lot of organizations spend too much time systematizing or commoditizing creativity. At Next-Mark, our success is built on giving each of our team members the space to be creative without fear of criticism or failure. We let the creative process breathe and flow so that results are fresh, innovative, and successful.
Rule of 9s When you click on a business or organization’s Instagram account, the first thing you see after their brief bio, link, and spotlighted reels is the thing that everyone uses Instagram for: PICTURES. Without getting into neuroscience, the human brain loves things in 3s, so it’s important to ensure most of your first 9 images tell a consistent story. A good mix of colorful, professional imagery with organic content helps you tell a well-rounded story in the first 9 posts.
Likes vs. Engagement This distinction causes a lot of confusion for businesses and organizations. While likes are a simple, easily understood metric, engagement is a more nuanced formula that takes into account likes, shares, and a little metric on Facebook called “People Talking About This.” Engagement metrics paint a more complete picture of how much awareness your brand is generating and is more akin to tracking “word of mouth” buzz in your audience.
Integrate Your Story With all the nuances of each platform, it becomes all the more difficult to keep it all “on brand.” Every single post does not have to explicitly allude to your organization’s values, mission, vision, service or product offerings, but a random sampling of your posts should come close to hitting all the most important messaging points and language of your brand.
The Medium is the Message This refers to the way a media channel can determine the way a message is conveyed. What this means for social media is that it’s important to consider the mainstream usage of the channel. For example, Twitter has gradually become a platform for breaking news and stories, while Instagram has become saturated with influencers and professional content creators. Make sure you’re using the right content for the right platform.
Reaffirming our approach as we enter our 19th year in business
To say that I’ve been incredibly fulfilled by Next-Mark’s run would be an understatement. Embarking on our 19th year in business, I am more energized than ever helping clients maximize their business with strategic marketing. I also can’t praise my team enough for their creativity, commitment to collaboration, and willingness to support each other.
I want to take this opportunity to share with all our clients, colleagues, and friends a list of the values and goals that have made us successful for almost 20 years, with a little something new for 2023.
Joseph Grano
President and Founder, Next-Mark
Kindness This is the single most important foundation on which our firm is built. It’s about more than professional courtesy in engaging with clients and employees. Kindness is core to our approach in everything we do as a partner.
Transparency and Honesty
We’ve never felt comfortable hiding things or misleading. The same goes for the work we do at Next-Mark – it’s about communicating clearly and honestly about our work and how it will help our clients succeed.
Managing Expectations
Though many businesses want an “explosion” of sales from one ad placement, strategic marketing is not a sprint. Rather, it’s about developing the full arc of a campaign that hits milestones throughout the marketing funnel. Sometimes that means telling clients something they don’t want to hear, but we feel a deep responsibility to make sure their goals are achievable and optimal.
Focus
Nobody here at Next-Mark is content with churning out mediocre work. From creative direction to content creation to assembling a robust media list, we focus on maximizing our capabilities.
Collaboration and Consensus
While many agencies produce quality creative work, it’s our experience that many miss out on allowing the client to take an active role in the process. Ultimately, business leaders have key insights into how the brand should be expressed. Input from our clients ensures a more effective final product.
Fostering Creativity
A lot of organizations spend too much time systematizing or commoditizing creativity. At Next-Mark, our success is built on giving each of our team members the space to be creative without fear of criticism or failure. We let the creative process breathe and flow so that results are fresh, innovative, and successful.
Passion for Excellence
You can’t teach someone to have high standards for their work. That’s why at Next-Mark, we pride ourselves on assembling a team of people who assume a deep responsibility for producing work that exceeds client expectations. We check our egos at the door and relish the opportunity to do what it takes to achieve a high-quality and successful product.
Seeking Knowledge
As marketing practices evolve, we stay ahead of the curve, committed to adding to our arsenal of strategies and innovative technologies to ensure clients’ success.
Community Partnerships
In the last few years, the Next-Mark team has been privileged to work with many governmental and nonprofit organizations. Working with these clients is rewarding and a way to give something back to the place we call home.
Building New Relationships
Nothing beats a handshake, a smile, and a conversation when it comes to building new relationships. That’s why the Next-Mark team is active in professional associations, meeting with governmental representatives, and participating in community events.
Be Courageous
For 2023, we asked ourselves what we could do to take our team and success to the next level. Entering our 19th year in business and with decades of combined experience, we are primed to push the envelope with our approach. We will embrace more creative risks, say “yes” to new challenges, and encourage our clients to push themselves outside of their comfort zones.Many thanks to each and every person and organization that has joined Next-Mark on our journey. We are beyond thrilled to see where it leads us next!If we can help, please give us a call at 941.544.2765 or email us to get in touch. For more information about all of our capabilities, view our Digital LookBook.
A quick guide to what Salesforce solutions can do for your business
As CRM software platforms continue to become more prevalent across every industry, a relatively new problem has arisen: What CRM software is right for me? For years, businesses only had 2-3 options to choose from to give them a competitive advantage. Though we have nearly a dozen platforms to choose from today that range from collaborative, analytical, and operational, the Salesforce platform has risen to the top of the industry on the strength of its powerful tools.
Though we at Next-Mark have experience with a variety of CRM platforms, our 75+ implementations in the Salesforce ecosystem have given us the insight that it is, in fact, the industry standard. Simply put, the platform helps turbo-charge a business process, especially when it lacks a systematized template to make it run more smoothly. More than just a marketing tool, Salesforce opens up possibilities across any industry, any department, and any process. Here are the biggest things Salesforce can help a business do:
1. Streamline
In the days before computers sat on every desk in an office, a company’s personnel had to navigate a labyrinth of departments and know which people handled which piece of the sales or operational puzzle. The same issue exists today but has become more complex even as personnel no longer have to hand-deliver documents or information. Salesforce is one of the strongest CRM platforms for streamlining these processes so that sales, finance, operational, and other departments can focus on the functions that generate value. For a recent client, we designed a CPQ (Cost-Price-Quote) integration that generated renewal forms, saving the sales and finance teams time that would otherwise have been spent requesting, retrieving, sending and entering data.
2. Automate
Even when looking at extraordinarily organized, top-performing personnel, most business processes in the modern day require an amount of juggling that simply isn’t sustainable. Client files can be chock full of project notes, timelines, deadlines and contact info. With Salesforce’s tools, any business process or data capture system can be automated to reduce the human errors that become more likely as personnel attempt to manage more and more projects. Automation can give an organization real-time reporting that’s tailored to whatever period of time works best for them. Are sales meetings occurring every Monday morning? A Salesforce integration can generate an automatic roundup of current leads. Is a client’s contract up for renewal in 5 weeks? Salesforce can automate the creation and execution of renewal contracts that help ensure clients don’t go elsewhere.
3. More Data, More Nuance
As part of Salesforce’s ability to capture and organize data, companies then have the ability to conduct much more thorough and actionable analyses of what’s working and what’s not. For many businesses, sales strategies are left largely to each individual sales rep to devise on their own. Naturally, some sales reps have a greater total quantity of sales while others have a higher percentage of sales per capita. Were these regional differences, a function of tactics, a by-product of timing? With more data comes more nuanced modifications to a sales strategy. Often times, we find that the key is to unlock some untapped synergy between departments, whether it’s linking an Account Executive with a Business Development Representative, or the Finance Department with the Sales Department.
We could spend weeks exploring the ins and outs of just one of our Salesforce integrations, and if you’d like to take a deep dive into some of them, we suggest you read our case studies. But a Salesforce integration is only as good as the team implementing it. It’s a complicated platform, and the right team should have a clear system in place to ensure an implementation strategy meets the specific needs of your business. Customized and maximized integrations require intensive discovery, a methodical build, meticulous testing, and a collaborative deployment phase fueled by client empowerment.
For us at Next-Mark, we also have the added advantage of being able to bridge the gap between Salesforce and marketing initiatives. This means your visual identity and brand voice can be fully integrated into the Salesforce integrations, ensuring a seamless experience for sales leads.
If you are curious about what Salesforce can do for your business and how we can integrate it with your marketing needs, feel free to reach out! We love to geek out on this stuff and love welcoming new businesses into the Salesforce ecosystem. You can also check out our Salesforce profile on the Salesforce App Exchange.
Visit Next-Mark’s latest Case Studies to learn more about how Next-Mark can transform your Salesforce Environments
As Sarasota’s only certified Salesforce Partner, we at Next-Mark are uniquely positioned to help you understand what to look for when integrating the Salesforce software into your business. Salesforce is a powerful tool to add to your analytics, but with that great power comes a great responsibility to leverage the data correctly so that it increases your bottom line rather than clouding your sales flow with more noise.
For years, we’ve been helping clients in a variety of fields—from healthcare to ride shares to publishers—utilize the platform to unleash the full potential of their client relationships by maximizing their digital marketing environments. When it’s time for you to choose a Salesforce partner, here are some insights we’ve learned about the competencies you should look for:
1. Good Listener
No two businesses are built the same, even when in the same industry and offering the same service. It’s important that you find a Salesforce partner that takes the time to listen carefully and conscientiously to your organization’s specific needs. We have seen too many times how a templated approach to digital marketing solutions prevents businesses from standing out from the crowd. In the end, our job is to translate your unique business processes into the Salesforce platform, which is only maximized when it aligns with your needs. In addition, a strong start to a Salesforce migration ensures a solid architecture to build future processes on.
2. A Strategic Planner
The integration of Salesforce is not a simple, short-term solution to your organization’s needs. Managing, tracking and automating requires frequent upkeep over the duration of the process, which is comprised of a long string of milestones. Make sure your Salesforce partner demonstrates an understanding of how those milestones are achieved and tracked over the full breadth of your relationship, with KPIs established early on. In addition, make sure to choose a Salesforce partner with a proven track record of long-term client relationships, as this helps reveal a partner’s ability to reliably evolve and grow in tandem with your organization.
3. A Team Player
A large component of Salesforce implementation is your organization’s ability to navigate the platform. The right partner, rather than keep you in the dark and keep the expertise to themselves, should exercise patience and enthusiasm when walking you through the software’s capabilities and utilization. That’s why at Next-Mark we developed our Next Methodology for Salesforce implementation, which lays out our collaborative approach from the initial conversation to the go-live result and emphasizes a educational dialogue along that entire journey to ensure our Salesforce clients know how to utilize the platform. In addition to helping foster transparency and open communication, this collaborative approach inevitably leads to more creative use of the software. The more perspectives from knowledgeable users, the more new ideas and techniques can be leveraged to make the team stronger than any single individual.
Getting Personal, Seventeen Years and Counting . . .
As we complete our 17th year in business and reflect on the year that was for Next-Mark, I keep coming back to one word: grateful.
2021 was a milestone year for our business. For that, I have to thank the existing clients who maintained their relationships with us, the new clients who put their faith in us, and our insightful, creative staff who always gave their best to each and every one of them.
2021 also was the year Next-Mark “came home” in a sense. After 16 years of meeting the needs of mostly national and international clients, we found ourselves also working in our own backyard, as various local organizations and governments came to us for communications support. As a Southwest Florida business, it has been immensely rewarding to participate in the betterment of our local communities and be part of such a vibrant, growing area.
Last year also saw a significant progression of our newest endeavor, as a certified Salesforce partner. We obviously filled a need, as we continue to help a growing list of national and international clients bridge the gap between strategic content and full utilization of their Salesforce Customer Relationship Management platform, enabling them to work smarter and more efficiently.
This combination of serving existing clients in fresh ways, helping new clients recharge their marketing communications, and developing additional capabilities ourselves has built a powerful platform for Next-Mark in 2022. It is one we greatly appreciate and intend to build upon.
Our goals for 2022 include:
Continue to build our team and continue to serve our evolving client base
Build on our capabilities as a certified Salesforce partner
Partner with our clients locally, nationally, and internationally in bolstering their brand promise and value proposition.
So, thank you to all who got us here. I look forward to seeing how far we all can go. If we can be of help, feel free to contact me directly at josephgrano@next-mark.com or at 941.544.2765.
Today’s marketing ecosystem is focused on any number of metrics, analytics and other quantifiable measures of outreach and leads. A marketing professional’s workflow might include charts, graphs and reports with cold numbers—and rightfully so, since these facets of a marketing plan give a marketing professional the data needed to design effective e-blasts, press releases, landing pages, social media posts and other measurable impressions. But as much as these numbers have helped take campaigns to the next level in the digital age, the value of in-person engagement cannot be overlooked.
A 2018 market study by Bizzabo, an event marketing platform, found that 91 percent of overperforming businesses place a greater emphasis on live events than their average and underperforming competitors. In addition, the same study found that 87 percent of C-Suite executives believe live events play an essential role in their company’s success. That’s why live events are one of the most impactful tools we use at Next-Mark to create strong B2B and B2C connections.
Event marketing, also known as experiential marketing, is a type of marketing that includes trade shows, product launches/demos, seminars or grand openings, to name a few. And as we all learned first-hand over the last year and a half, web-based events can also serve as a serviceable placeholder. All of these forms of engagement leverage the power of human interaction to create a more impactful impression on prospective customers and clients, helping to foster a more robust, holistic brand awareness. In short, an event helps our clients show their brand rather than just tell.
At Next-Mark, we pride ourselves on the work we have done, helping clients produce a variety of event marketing initiatives in our home city of Sarasota, Florida and across the nation. Most recently, our Sol of the Circle event series played an integral role in further promoting St. Armands Circle and boosting the destination’s marketing initiatives. As a vibrant cultural center that is part of the illustrious Ringling legacy in the Sarasota region, we felt that a live event series was a perfect opportunity to help develop the brand of the Circle, as a destination for entertainment and recreation across a diverse set of target groups. The series ran through the summer and included monthly live music nights, outdoor yoga activations, unique Family Day events and culminated with Sarasota Arts LIVE, which featured live performances from some of the biggest performance art institutions in Sarasota.
These events aimed to show St. Armands Circle’s target audiences that the Circle is a dynamic venue worth returning to and spending a memorable day among family and friends. The series allowed restaurants, bars and retailers to present a cohesive, unified experience to visitors centered on the sights and sounds of the historic commercial district. The visitors themselves were provided a dynamic, diverse occasion to not only stop at one destination, but also immerse themselves in a culturally meaningful, live experience. A 2016 study by the Event Marketing Institute corroborates the impact of a vibrant live event: 98 percent of event attendees feel more inclined to use a product or service after attending the event, while 84 percent say it gives them a more positive view of the brand, product or service.
Another benefit of event marketing is the ability to attract media coverage from magazines, newspapers, websites and social media influencers. Known as “earned content” in the marketing industry, this kind of coverage signals to your target audience that an objective, third-party entity has found your client’s product, brand or service to be noteworthy. In the case of Sol of the Circle, Next-Mark was able to secure mentions in several publications, including a feature article about the Sarasota Arts LIVE event in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Looking to the future of marketing trends, the Bizzabo study found that 57 percent of overperforming companies plan on increasing their budget for event marketing. It all goes to show that the digital marketing tools available to us are only one piece of the overall puzzle. Ultimately, humans are social creatures and derive more comprehensive impressions from in-person engagement. Nothing beats the power of a positive live experience.
Just as it’s possible to hear without listening, it’s also possible to talk without communicating.
Though seemingly obvious, this is, unfortunately, a concept that businesses and organizations can sometimes fail to consider in the rush to get a product/service/cause “out there.” The result can be a race that’s over before it starts, as it’s hard to make up the ground lost in a poor beginning.
That’s why we encourage our clients to start engagements with the development of a strategic messaging platform or architecture. This document, created cooperatively, grounds communications and propels meaningful outreach to the right audiences at the right time with the right persuasive language.
As an agreement among all involved as to goals, targets and messaging, the document creates a common voice and magnifies it. It also brings everything to focus on the future.
The truth is that a good many our clients have found their messaging hasn’t grown with them. Instead, as they have evolved, their communications have stood pat, unreflective of the scope of what the business or organization has come to be and now can do for customers, clients or communities.
It’s also a great motivator; as key executives, sales staff and other stakeholders feel the excitement of creating new and inclusive, something that will help them do a better job and their company to succeed.
For clients choosing this path, it’s also a way to save time, money and effort. With core messaging already agreed upon, there’s no need to start over for each project or project segment, stressing over getting the words right. They are already there, along with guiding position and value statements and a brand promise to be fulfilled.
The Marketing Playbook reminds us that messaging can have more of an impact than almost anything else in business. When driven by strategy and consensus, we like to say, it also can be a source of rejuvenation and a springboard for advancement in the marketplace.
So, think of it as that deep breath before you dive off the board, the one that gives you clarity of purpose and confidence that you’re ready to succeed.
If you’re ready to explore the deep waters of meaningful communications, let us know. We would love to be your guides.
10 Tips For Optimizing and Growing Your Social Media Success
Utilizing social media as a tool for personal branding and driving business growth is no longer optional for marketers and business professionals. With millions of users spending hours each day on social media, there’s an undeniable opportunity, but getting started or improving on existing results can be daunting. To help, we’ve put together 10 tips for optimizing and growing your social media success.
Keep reading for more information about social media trends, relevant platforms and expert advice on how to step up your social media game.
Keep Up with Social Media
Social media has always been part of the marketing conversation. But this past year has proven that it’s here to stay. Social usage has increased dramatically and new users continue to grow. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram became crucial in communication and social interaction since in-person meetings became nonexistent. Having a business presence on social media is essential in B2B and B2C opportunities and is key to spreading awareness and promoting your product or service.
Quick Facts:
American social media users spend an average of 2.7 hours per day on social media
54% of B2B marketers say they’ve generated leads from social media
Only 26% of companies integrate social media into their strategies
Why Social Media Matters
Besides promoting your business, social media can help you meet several business goals, including:
Better connect with and serve your customers
Improve your search engine ranking (SEO)
Reduce advertising costs and increase your overall ROI
Foster and deepen relationships with target audience members and your community
Identify Your Target Audience
Your target audience is a specific group of people who are most likely to want or need your product.
Three reasons to define your target audience:
Ensure you’re creating the right content for the right people.
Better understand how to create content that connects the benefits of your brand to what reader needs.
Not all social media platforms are created equal. Knowing the idiosyncrasies and landscape of each individual platform will help you make the best decision on where to focus your efforts, the kind of content to post and the type of users on each.
Average monthly users: 2.7B
Largest age group: 25-34 (26.3%)
Medium focused almost every form of content, especially news and promotions
Robust features and uses, including text, images, video, shopping
Supports feed or stories
Average monthly users: 1B
Largest age group: 25-34 (33.1%)
Medium focused on imagery
Text, images, video, shopping
Supports feed or stories
Average monthly users: 400M+
Largest age group: 30-49
The average user earns $70k
Medium focused on saving product photos and inspirational content
Feed and Board display with imagery, texts, links
Exclusively business/B2B audience
Medium focuses on content and thought leadership
Images, text, call to actions all on feed display and stories
Average monthly users: 187M
Largest age group: 30-49 (44%)
Medium on instant communication, news and user interactions
Text, video, images on a feed, but story features now being added
Average monthly users: 100M
Largest age group 18-24
Short form video and minimal text
10 Tips to Amplify Your Social Media Impact
1. Optimize Your Profile
Can my potential customers find my profile and what do they see when they arrive?
Audit Your Profile – Ask Yourself
Is my brand consistent?
Does my bio accurately communicate my company’s value?
Am I using relevant hashtags in my bio?
Is there a call to action?
What should I link to? (Lnk.bio vs. company site vs. landing pages)
2. Don’t Oversell
Great salespeople don’t sell; they listen and solve their customer’s problems. Create compelling content, hone your value proposition and connect with your audience meaningfully.
A great value proposition should:
Communicate why someone should do business with you
Be short and easy to understand
Define what you do
Explain how your business eliminates a pain point for your potential customers
3. Find Your Voice
Your brand voice is the distinct personality your brand takes on in its communications.
People connect with people – If your brand were a real person, what would they sound like?
Tips for finding your brand voice:
Think of 10 adjectives to describe your brand – then pick your top 4
Consider your target audience and the vocabulary they use
Write like a person talks, not like a business robot
4. Be Consistent
For your audience to recognize and build a relationship with your brand, you must be consistent with your use of social media
Content consistency establishes your credibility, builds trust, and strengthens your reputation.
How to build consistency:
Create a social media content calendar
Maintain a post frequency you can handle
Schedule your posts in advance
Why is consistency so important?
Your business will stay top of mind
It helps you to build authority in your niche
It is easier to maintain
Your audience will be more engaged
You will generate more leads
Social media algorithms favor you
You will cultivate loyal brand fans
Your audience will trust you
5. Plan Your Content With A Content Calendar
Find a system and content schedule that works for you.
Sometimes the biggest hurdle to social media success is knowing what to post
Consider the types of content you want to share
Example: share project photos every Monday, promotion every Wednesday, behind the scenes every Saturday, etc.
Create the calendar in advance, then carve out time to create/film
With the right plan in place, you can batch content a few times per month or one month ahead
6. Engage With Your Community
Without engagement, social media is just media. Social Media Engagementis all about building an online community and it can affect everything from brand awareness to customer loyalty.
Social media engagement metrics include:
Likes and Favorites
Comments, DMs, and Replies
Shares and Retweets
Saves and Clicks
Reviews, Mentions and Tags
Tips for your business to earn engagement:
Respond to all comments
Ask your followers questions via captions, stories, or polls
Reply to reviews, both positive and negative
Participate in industry conversations in Facebook Groups or on Twitter
Comment on posts from other accounts you follow or on posts from relevant hashtags
7. Leverage New Features – Stories & LIVE are your friend
Social media platforms often incentivize users to explore new features by giving them additional power to reach more people.
These new features are often underserved by marketers but have high user engagement.
Benefits of Stories and LIVE:
Fewer brands use these features, so there’s less competition
High audience reach and engagement
Social media users who watch a brands story are more likely to see those same brands’ feed posts
The algorithm favors individuals and brands who use their new features
8. Use Personalized Landing PagesIn Your Social Strategy
Personalized landing pages are web pages on a company’s website about a specific service, product or offer – with a call to action designed to convert a customer to the next stage in the buying process
How can we use them on Social Media?
Sales team social profiles can be a significant driver of traffic to a company’s website. Direct that traffic to pages that educate and convert
Landing pages are an excellent place for those engaging with your post to learn more about your company’s products – Share links alongside compelling content
Prospects will journey to a company’s website from bio links on sales team member profiles – Swap out bio links to a relevant landing page for decreased bounce and higher sales conversions
9. Use free tools to make better, more engaging content
A great social media post is eye-catching, relevant and visually appealing. For large brands, social media managers, sales teams and designers all work to create this content together. Unfortunately, this often isn’t an option for small to medium-sized businesses or those without the support of a marketing agency.
Free online tools can make your content shine and help create a consistent brand for bootstrapping social teams. Our top free tools:
Canva – This design platform makes designing beautiful social media images and other kinds of assets easy. With free and premium plans, there’s something for everyone (https://www.canva.com/)
Photopea – An online knock off of photoshop, this free website is excellent for individuals who need to adjust images quickly and inexpensively (https://www.photopea.com/)
Unsplash, Pexels, and others – These free imagery libraries have millions of free, copyright-free photos on nearly any subject (http://unsplash.com/)
Hashtag Generators – These can allow you to find highly-used, relevant hashtags in your area or industry
Viralpep – This basic free tool allows users to schedule up to 20 social media posts for a variety of platforms, including Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and more (https://www.viralpep.com/free)
10. Seek buy-in and resources from company leaders
No man or woman is an island. For sales teams to be effective, they need top-down support. Remember, only 26% of companies integrate social media into their strategies, which often leaves those responsible for social management underserved.
For individuals and teams looking to improve their company’s social presence and, as a result, sales, there needs to be a level of investment from company administrators or leaders.
Make a plan, identify needs and seek support:
A marketing agency partner
What content can leaders or marketing teams create for social media managers each month?
Blogs, videos, infographics, interviews, imagery, lead magnets
Social media management tools for measuring success and scheduling posts
Leaders encouraging all members of an organization to support social messaging
Final Thoughts
Social media is only a small component to an effective and robust marketing strategy. While it’s important to give social media the time and attention it needs to be effective, there’s many other things to consider. Additionally, content and tactics from other marketing arms of your business can be integrated into your social strategy. When you have a cohesive marketing plan and are promoting high-quality content, there’s unlimited potential for growth.
Want to learn more about Next-Mark’s marketing, branding and social media services? Contact us today!
