Marketing used to be centered around the four P’s (product, price, place, promotion), but within the past few years these have become less relevant. There has been a shift in the world of marketing, web, and social media and these four P’s that we all know so well have been transformed into the four C’s of social.
These four elements consist of content, conversations, community, and connections. The web has become a hub for reviews on companies, items to purchase, restaurants, etc. and how companies are engaging with customers online is more relevant and important than ever before. Personally, I have researched companies on Facebook before making a purchase from that company just to see what their interaction is like with customers and if they have any negative reviews online. This is very common in today’s digital age.
What do these four C’s really mean?
Content.
Providing and sharing great content is one of the most important and critical things when it comes to social media and engaging with your clients. If you don’t provide great content people don’t pay attention. When it comes to sharing content via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any social network people will only share your content if they find it of value.
Conversation.
Always respond quickly on social media – this is something social media users value significantly and you are only relevant as long as they want you to be. They want your attention and fast responses. Making your clients feel as important as possible is key and by having quick responses it shows that you care and will make your company stand out compared to competitors.
Community.
Being part of a community provides a sense of exclusivity to people and helps them to feel safe. Providing this sense of community where members and/or clients can share their opinions, interests, and start discussions in a safe place will give customers a sense of trust and belonging.
Connections.
Engagement is part of connecting with your customer base. Something to consider when it comes to client engagement, is that social media outlets are becoming more relevant for connecting with these clients.
Figure out where your customer base is; is it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest? There area lot of social media outlets and companies need to prioritize where they are interacting and making real connections with customers. Depending on your target market, there may be a specific outlet that you should focus on. Not every social media platform is for every company out there.
According to Selfstartr, for every follower you have on Instagram you get 58 times more engagement than on Facebook. Facebook is becoming more saturated by brands – especially when it comes to advertising with 93 percent of marketers using Facebook and only 36 percent using Instagram. If Instagram makes sense for your business this is something to take into consideration. Making valuable connections with your clients has become very important for client retention.
Keeping up with the digital age is very important for companies. Companies should remember to be constantly researching and finding new ways to improve their web presence.
