With technology changing at the speed of light, the ways in which a business interacts with their clients and prospective clients needs to keep up. There are numerous channels of communication available online, and with each method comes a new set of challenges.
If a business is going to stand out among the crowd, learning how to successfully navigate these communication challenges should be a top priority. The following are a few ideas of what to look for, and how to handle it.
Worthy Content
Clickbait is a killer, and more in a “kills your image” and less in a “kills the competition” sort of way. Sure, clicks are important, but focusing solely on this type of vanity metric isn’t the best approach for your business. You may get the quantity you’re looking for, without the quality.
You don’t want your company’s name to have the reputation of only producing less-than-stellar content for the sake of clicks. Users today catch on to that quicker than ever. Keep content fresh, and update content as often as you can, but find the sweet-spot in between “content for the sake of content,” and “worth-while content that will keep readers coming back.”
Video Traffic in 2017
According to Cisco, “Globally, IP video traffic will be 82 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2020… Internet video traffic will grow fourfold from 2015 to 2020.”
This means that video is on the rise, and more businesses are becoming aware. Twitter, Periscope, Snapchat, even Facebook now allows for video content and/or live streaming services. Oh, and there’s a channel called YouTube which is still pretty popular as well!
When over 80% of all web traffic this year is projected to be interactions with video, now is the time to invest in a good camera and some video editing software.
Relevant Platforms
Today, there isn’t a single online channel that businesses haven’t tried. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, the list goes on. There is pressure to be everywhere, and for businesses without a dedicated social media team; this is a challenge.
If a business is going to try to hit many major social media platforms, it’ll also have to appeal to that platform’s users in a way that makes sense for them. Some businesses simply create an account on each platform and try to hit them all.
The fact of the matter is that some of the social media platforms just plain don’t make sense for some businesses to use. In many ways, the type of content you’re creating will help dictate the most effective platforms.
Twitter isn’t great for lengthy discussions or information. If you aren’t cranking out videos regularly (and you should be!), then YouTube probably isn’t the place for you either. Facebook is an ideal “all-around” platform, but each channel has their pros and cons. Figure out who your customers are, how they want to engage, and reach out to them in that way for maximum benefits.
It is also a great strategy to connect with social influencers on your platform of choice. Find these key people of influence and cultivate a relationship with them. They can be your biggest champions. Sure, you might not be able to get a famous celebrity on your side, but social influence has an effect at a more local level as well. Get networking!
Get Ready for 2017!
To communicate successfully with your clients this year, remember to figure out which platforms are relevant to you and the people who utilise your business, hop aboard the video train and ride the biggest boom we’ll see this year, and create worth-while content frequently.
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