Tapping The Huge Potential Of Social Media Apps

Depending on the focus of your business there might be a place for social media apps within your digital strategy. Social media tends to work well for businesses that have a high degree of customer communication, product and service engagement, and the human resource power to attend to regular updating of content.

However you don’t have to start as king of the mountain. Incorporating a few simple, concrete social media elements into your online marketing strategy is a good way to test this area and see what it can yield for your business. And social media apps are designed to help you do just that.

The benefits of integrating Facebook

Increasing number of web users prefer to spend their time on social media sites rather than business websites. Having a presence on Facebook is a good way to meet your prospects in an environment they enjoy interacting with.

Sell products directly from your Facebook Fanpage:

• Users don’t have to go to your site, create a login etc – all of which may deter them from following through with a purchase or enquiry
• Your customers can communicate directly to their friends that they have bought your product
• Users can ‘like’, share and recommend your product or service – even if they haven’t purchased yet
• Build trust – users trust the Facebook brand, including the ecommerce providers – which they may be more wary of on a new, unknown or start up site

Put Facebook connect on your website

This is fast becoming a ‘must have’ in the field of social media apps. Facebook Connect allows users to login as members of your site by using their Facebook login.

• User does not have to create and remember yet another login and password
• Logins gets broadcast to the users Facebook friends – providing you with instant viral marketing

Branding your business on social media

When it comes to using YouTube, Twitter and other social media platforms, it is worth creating branded backgrounds for your company. If you are a major brand and spend sufficiently with these platforms you will be able to go to an even higher level.

It really is like creating your own internet channel for high level customer interaction and incredible brand marketing opportunities. See how this strategy has worked for Coles Supermarkets: http://www.youtube.com/user/ColesSupermarkets

Going mobile with social

The next level of social media apps is in the mobile platform arena. This is where your company can create apps (applications) to connect and interact with your target audience, providing information, entertainment or both. The potential is huge as users share, play and communicate with their friends, while spreading the brand message for you.

Apple tends to dominate much discussion of mobile apps, with the iPhone and iPad phenomena. However there are other options available, including Microsoft Windows mobile, Android and other providers. Read more about mobile apps, app development and app distribution.