In our recent article Paid Social Advertising To Grow Your Business we looked at how advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can be an effective way to attract more customers and clients. But what if you aren’t ready to make an investment in paid advertising or you also want to attract your target audience organically on social media? Well, read on as we explore the customer journey and how to effectively use content that gets results.

As with any marketing strategy, content is going to be key and needs to be relevant to the stages of your customer journey. So a good place to start is with your just that—your customer journey. Next you need to create or identify suitable social media content and finally know when to share it.

The Customer Journey

While your customer journey has a defined path, not every person will move through the journey in the same way. For example, someone may receive a recommendation about your product or service and go from awareness to conversion—meaning they familiarize themselves with your business and then make the purchase. Other people may need to do a bit more leg work by comparing you to your competitors before making their purchase decision.

Asking for the purchase as soon as someone engages with your brand can be a real turn off. We’ve all seen social media that is 100% promotional and can agree it isn’t effective and can actually push us to unfollow that business or brand. On the flip side, using social media solely to educate your audience on your products, services, mission, etc. will miss the mark with those ready to purchase. 

As you can see, having social media content relevant to your audience at each step of the way is a strategy for success.

The Awareness Stage on Social Media

In the awareness stage, the goal is to attract social media followers. One of the best ways to do this is through positioning your company as an authority in your industry. By sharing your knowledge about the topics your customers are searching for you begin to build brand awareness and trust.

Some of the best ways to educate your audience is through content such as infographics, white papers, e-books, case studies, and blogs. Another effective way to show your expertise is through webinars and video tutorials.

Making a meaningful connection with your audience in this awareness stage means leaving the sales pitch out of the mix. Instead focus on the value you bring to your customers and clients.

The Engagement Stage on Social Media

This stage of the customer journey is where your content needs to reinforce your products and services, show why you are the best solution, and make your followers feel a part of your brand. 

There are several ways to do this. You can begin with sharing testimonials from customers, either written or, even better, with video. In this engagement stage you can also provide ways for people to interact with existing customers. Brand hashtags are a great way to connect your brand with your social media audience and offer the opportunity for people to share the experiences they’ve had with your business. You could also create a Facebook group to further the feeling of community amongst your followers.

Another way to provide relevant content in this stage of the customer journey and reinforce your brand is by showing the benefits of your product or service over those of your competitors. This can help address any hesitation a potential customer may have and move them along to making a buying decision.

The Conversion Stage on Social Media

When a customer is ready to make a purchase this is where your content needs to be direct and  with clear call-to-actions.

You will need to create and share content that gives your audience a way to interact firsthand with you. Some ways to do this are through free samples, consultations and promotions. These strategies help lower the risk to the customer and encourage them to make a decision. 

User experience is key here. Don’t make your customer jump through hoops with complicated forms to fill out, unclear next steps, or ambiguous language. 

And most importantly you want to be sure what you are offering your customers continues to provide value and align with your brand messaging and mission.

Now that you have a better understanding of how to use social media to organically grow your following and your bottom line, let’s see how we can do this together.

BOS Digital can provide a comprehensive social media plan that shows visible results for your business and supports you all the way from strategy, to content, to analytics and reporting.
Contact us today and watch your social media strategy start converting!