It’s a common scenario; you work hard on a social media marketing plan at the request of a client, yet when you pitch it to them, they express reluctance about adopting it, whether due to stubbornness, inexperience, arrogance or any number of other factors.
Thankfully there are a few strategies you can deploy to grease the wheels and bring clients around to your way of thinking, so here are just a handful of options to test out for yourself.
Use data to your advantage
Sometimes the biggest issue you face is that you cannot adequately explain the value of leveraging social media for marketing purposes to a client that has not really been involved with this area before.
illustration by Tatiana Vovchenko
The best way to overcome a lack of appreciation for the power of social media from a marketing perspective is to present clients with the cold, hard evidence of the improvements they could see if they follow your plan.
Using tools for advertising analytics to understand your data and also express it in a way that non-experts can comprehend is key to convincing clients that are on the fence to take the plunge.
Pinpoint the successes of competitors
Business owners will always want to make sure that they are not flagging behind their closest rivals, and so if you can demonstrate that the competition are fully committed to social media marketing, this will further incentivize a client to embrace your suggestions.
Again, this is not just about saying that another brand operating in the same industry has however many followers on social media; you need to link the size of their presence with any sales increases or market share expansion that they have enjoyed.
Suggest that social media lets you control the conversation around the company
Clients need to comprehend that social media is not just an outward-facing, one-way tool for marketing products and services, but rather a solution that operates in both directions, providing customers as a means of getting in touch with brands directly, or discussing them indirectly.
design by Setiadi Putra Pratama
As such, any marketing plan worth its salt will encompass this aspect and also show why businesses can benefit from being in the driving seat, determining the direction that digital discussions take, rather than allowing them to play out on their own.
Explain the value on offer
If all else fails, it is worth emphasizing that social media marketing represents great value for money and that your plan can continue to deliver benefits in the long run, for relatively minimal upfront costs.
This is all down to the fact that a well-managed social campaign can effectively exist in perpetuity, continuing to gain traction and earn shares long after it was first launched, with no additional costs to bear.
In comparison with traditional marketing options, social media is far more desirable in many ways, and if you convey this to a client effectively, you will easily win them over with your words.
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