There are now over 3 billion people who use the internet now in mid 2017.  Over two thirds of them, 2.3 billion to be more precise, are on social media. Once upon a time, the saying was that if you’re not online, you’re not in business. Well, nowadays, that mantra should read more like “if you’re not on social media, you’re not in business”.

For SaaS companies, social media is one of the major and most heavily used components of their marketing strategies. If you aren’t leveraging social media platforms in your marketing effort, or if you think it just isn’t for your company or industry, then you’re missing out, and should reconsider your marketing strategy, because if you don’t, you could be sabotaging your chances at optimal success. Social media isn’t just about shouting your message from the rooftops in an effort to garner attention in the marketplace, but about providing a platform which allows you to actually engage with potential buyers directly. It’s a tool that allows you to target specific classes of buyers, and analyze their interests and gather feedback at a rate that was previously never thought possible. As active internet users turn more to social media than just to search engines alone for ready and relevant information, social media is becoming a dominant force in search engine optimization, therefore changing the online visibility standard. As with content marketing, an efficient social media marketing strategy provides the ability to steer users towards relevant content that helps them solve a problem or develop a better outlook about something, therefore making you more relevant. In this way, social media is what allows you to develop and drive leads to your sales funnel and add more digits to the bottom line on your revenue reports.

1. Who are you talking to?

Sort of like having a target market on steroids, the buyer persona is where your marketing campaign finds its path. You need to know who your buyers are likely to be and what they are interested in. Most companies develop their marketing strategy around the product that they are trying to sell. But to be effective, you need to develop your company and product around the customers that you intend to reach, and what their concerns are. Know who your audience is.

2. Speak on their Level

Industry terminology isn’t really understandable to the vast majority of people. In fact, the acronym SaaS isn’t even a term that is commonly used or known by large segments of the non techie population. At the same time, jargon that isn’t common to your persona’s speech patterns aren’t really as attractive either. While you want to stand out among the other SaaS companies in the marketplace, you do want to blend in with the crowd, so to speak, when it comes to your audience. You need to be on the level with them.

3. Attract their attention

While text on its own can and will communicate your message, it’s not the be all end all. There’s a reason why many presentations use visual aids. People tend to pay a lot more attention, or rather are more likely to give it, when it comes with colors and pictures. To the tune of even over four fifths more.

4. Engage

Social media gives you a great way to communicate with your audience directly through a plethora of avenues, so it’s a great way to engage them. Especially if you’re new in the business, inviting your buyers to ask questions and get active on forums and comment sections is a fantastic way to get them attentive and providing feedback. Here’s how you can deal straight with them actively.

5. Go Live

Get on video. Get human. Show them who you are and tell them about yourself, what you do, and what makes you special. Facebook live and Youtube are great avenues to personalize the marketing experience and get relevant.

6. Live in their world

Show your audience your brand and your face in reference to the world they live in. Show how you relate to the things they like in the movies, places, music, or other trends that they use and like. Your personas are eating food, watching movies, wearing clothes, etc. Relate to them by showing how you’re interested in the same stuff that they are. Your marketing campaign needs to be more than just a sales pitch about your product. It needs to be a part of their world too, so show how that can happen.

7. Ignore the limits

Infographics and videos provide great avenues to get your message out. More to point, they’re more memorable than just text, you aren’t limited to a certain character count, and they’re relatable. They’re also shareable. Take them across the web and put them out there.

8. It’s a Hoot

Get a hoot with Hootsuite. Hootsuite allows you to simultaneously share a post across a variety of social media platforms instantaneously. These include Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and others. Of course, you can also plot when you want your post shared by scheduling it.

9. Stay on top of it

Being active on social media can be the difference between being effective or being stale. Social media platforms provide the ability for you and your buyers to communicate directly, and that also means that they get the ability to publicly air out your dirty laundry. So if you want it to work for your benefit, make sure that you are active and remain responsive to your customers who want to engage you in that way or have concerns that need to be addressed. Stay on top of it by hiring someone to manage customer relations actively and effectively.

10. Laugh it up

Add a little humor here and there so that your tone isn’t always strict and too dull. Many of the most successful campaign use humor to both communicate their message, as well as to maximize effectiveness and memorability. People tend to remember and share things they consider funny with friends and relatives, and that extends your reach considerably.So, now you understand the importance of online marketing and search engine optimization. Maybe even get the importance of content marketing and positioning yourself as an authority in your line of business with useful and informative blog posts. But if you want to attract more visitors and drive more conversions, you need to be putting yourself out there and engaging with your audience if you want that content to have the best chance of reaching them and standing out amid the marketing noise. You need to be there for the market. This isn’t the field of dreams, and building it isn’t enough. If you want them to come, you need to get out there and tell them about it, and bring them if necessary.