MKT FPX 5410 Assessment 2 Social Media Plan for Spokin’ Wheels MKT-FPX5410 Digital Marketing Optimizing Social Media Strategy for Spokin’ Wheels
Social Media Platforms When considering social media, the major platforms that typically come to mind include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Search engines, which facilitate customer reviews and company responses, also fall under the social media umbrella. Effective use of these platforms requires more than just presence; it demands active participation, content sharing, and engagement. Social media encompasses various online and mobile channels that enable users to interact and share content. According to Caffery and Smith (2017), it involves building communities and fostering participation (p. 225).
Social media platforms can be categorized into several types:
- Social Networks: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn cater to both consumers and businesses.
- Social Publishing and News: Includes online newspapers, magazines, and blog sites.
- Social Commenting: Involves comments on blogs and forums.
- Social Niche Communities: Forums or support groups related to specific issues.
- Social Customer Service: Includes support via company websites or third-party platforms.
- Social Knowledge: Platforms like Wikipedia that provide information.
- Social Bookmarking: Sites where users can save and share links.
- Social Streaming: Includes platforms like Pinterest for sharing images and videos.
- Social Search: Search engines.
- Social Commerce: Retail-focused platforms for reviews, deals, and coupons.
MKT FPX 5410 Assessment 2 Social Media Plan for Spokin’ Wheels
With numerous platforms available, choosing the right ones and utilizing them effectively can be overwhelming. It is essential to strategically select platforms that align with our marketing goals and target audience. Major transformations in social media marketing require strong leadership to define and support the vision, allocate resources, and implement necessary organizational changes (Caffery & Smith, 2017, p. 232).
Customer Persona
Understanding our customer personas is vital for effective marketing. Customer personas represent both current and potential customers. Spokin’ Wheels serves two primary customer types: the ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline) persona and the Millennial persona.
The ROPO persona consists of customers who prefer to shop in-store but use our website for product research or event information. The Millennial persona, as described by Andrej Perc, includes “searchers” who are ready to make a purchase and “wanderers” who need more engagement and genuine reviews before buying. This segmentation helps us cater to both in-store and online preferences, ensuring no customer feels overlooked.
Benchmarking and Goal Setting
Leveraging social media for Spokin’ Wheels’ growth involves setting clear goals and tracking progress. Our marketing mix includes the 5 S’s of Digital Marketing: Sell, Speak, Serve, Save, and Sizzle.
Sell: The first step is to redesign our website for a more user-friendly experience. An online inventory specialist will manage product information and customer inquiries. Including social media tags on each page will drive traffic to our social profiles. Initially, we plan to focus on Facebook and Instagram for engaging with followers and making sales announcements. Our goal is to acquire 250 followers on each platform within the first month.
Speak: Engagement is key to building a following. We will kickstart our campaign with weekly contests to encourage sharing and liking our posts. Leveraging our existing customer base, we will incentivize likes and shares. Weekly rides will provide engaging content for social media, and once we reach 250 followers, we’ll reward participants with branded merchandise. We’ll also use paid, earned, and owned media to boost our reach and create unique hashtags for our brand.
Serve: Social media platforms provide a space for customers to share feedback, reviews, and personal experiences. This user-generated content can act as both promotion and customer service. Allowing customers to interact with us and each other helps promote our brand and fosters community engagement.
Save: Social media can reduce costs by encouraging a digital mindset and moving towards a paperless operation. Cross-posting content on Instagram and Facebook will save time and ensure consistent messaging across platforms. This approach also extends our reach to different customer demographics.