Who are you and what does your company do?
My name is Apolline Adiju, and I am a social media manager/consultant for small business owners. I am the founder of a social media marketing company, ApollineAdiju (apollineadiju.com), that delivers services to entrepreneurs and business owners.
Our services include:
How and why did you get started in social media?
I have always loved the business world, which is why I studied for my degree in Business Management. Before deciding to get online and start my own business, I worked as a digital marketer for several corporate firms. Throughout these years I discovered that many small business owners had problems using social media to grow their business. This inspired me to create ApollineAdiju - a company that helps companies and entrepreneurs to leverage social media and increase their social presence.
What do you believe the benefits of using social media for business are?
Social media provides an easier way to connect and relate to your customers and target audience. By knowing more about their activities online, you can collect smarter data and use analytics to improve your business.
It is also a means of providing excellent customer service. By increasing overall customer satisfaction, you promote your business and increase brand awareness. I have also noticed that the leads I get via social media have the highest conversion rates, especially when I have interacted with them earlier.
What do you think are common mistakes business owners make when building brand awareness through social media?
One major mistake brands make on social media is not listening, another is not responding to consumer complaints. It's vital to address all queries from prospects you receive via social media promptly and in the best possible way. Note that even one inferior response (or post) can tarnish the reputation of an entire company.
Business owners also tend to focus on the wrong numbers. Many strive to get as many followers as possible on social media instead of focusing on engagement. There is no point in having thousands of followers with a 0% engagement rate. Focus on creating valuable content, and look for ways how to engage with your target audience.
Another mistake is not taking social media seriously. This usually includes undervaluing social media efforts, delegating tasks to interns or outsourcing their social media marketing to the cheapest agency available. Your social media profiles shows the face of your business, and investing to get the right experts to manage and portray your brand image is worth it.
What qualities do you think social media managers should have?
The ability to listen, analyze their efforts and be able to strike a balance between anticipating and staying ahead of trends. Social media managers should always be able to understand your business goals and create a social media strategy for it.
How do business owners know if their social media campaign is working?
It depends on the social media marketing goals of the company. If its goal is to increase their social presence, then you should look for an increase in follower growth, engagement, and mentions. If its goals include getting more leads, then clicks, site visits and form submissions will be most important.
How do you see social media evolving over the next 5 years…what do you hope to see?
I believe that in the next five years, social media will be the main place for all customer related queries. More and more consumers tend to contact companies via social media since they get a quicker response compared to email. Social media will play a bigger role in industry research - it will be easier to spy on your competitors and capitalize on their weakness. Most importantly, it will be a necessity rather than a nice-to-have of your marketing strategy.
Is there particular network that works best for you?
Tough to say. I use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn equally for different target audiences. I get quite a few of my clients from Facebook through organic reach and Facebook Ads. Twitter is mostly for analyzing content and networking with influencers. It's also the springboard of my business because it is the source of the majority of my clients. Linkedin, on the other hand, is the main source of my corporate customers, and I must admit that it's easier getting in touch with them through LinkedIn.
Which one best practice would you recommend about using social media to grow a business?
My best recommendation is to always keep in mind that people do not come to social media to BUY. They are there to engage with one another and connect with people. If you as a brand want to leverage social media for business, consider creating great content. After consistent deliveries, it will turn your audience into leads and buyers. Create with value in mind and you would reap the best from social media.
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