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Marketing

Using a SWOT Analysis for Social Media

If you have ever been involved in a marketing strategy meeting you have no doubt been exposed to the SWOT analysis. This process can help break down the individual needs of the company in question and focus on which direction the marketing strategy goes. We hope to explain what a SWOT analysis is and how it can impact your social media strategy.

Strengths

The strengths section of a SWOT analysis should be well thought out and may include company resources as well as unique engaged fans that can propel your company message. Your current reach and penetration may also be a strength if the numbers are good enough. Keep in mind that strengths can sometimes be considered weaknesses as well!

Weaknesses

Weaknesses can often be hard to complete because you have to look at your own business critically. This is often the hardest part of completing a SWOT analysis because you have to be very introspective. Unless you are honest, you can’t fully fix your problems. This section may include scaling issues or lack of analytic resources.

Opportunities

Opportunities can often be attributed to outlets that the company should or could be taking that currently aren’t being utilized. This could mean targeting new segments of customer or expanding your reach through new social media platforms. Opportunities can often be a response to a previously added weakness to build your marketing plan.

Threats

The final component of a SWOT analysis is a threats section. Threats often include competitor strategies and factors such as product sustainability or economic factors. Determining current and upcoming threats can help companies create a blueprint to react to these threats quickly to minimize risk. The threats section can usually improve a business’ chance at successfully implementing their social media plan. Once a SWOT analysis is completed, companies should then build their marketing plan with the results in mind. This creates a well-rounded and cohesive plan that ensures the most success possible. Remember, your competitors are most likely doing the same thing. Be as thorough as possible and get your social media marketing started!

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on FacebookTwitterGoogle+ and LinkedIn!

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Digital Marketing News Marketing

Chatbots: Rise of the Machines

As more and more consumers are opting to not install apps on their phones, new technology has to be made. Good apps that entice consumers to download them and replace precious space on their phone are costly to make and hard to get noticed. In response to this growing problem, many tech leaders have started developing chatbots and drumming up intrigue in the process.

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Marketing

Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2017

In a recent blog post, we wrote about how the implementation of search functionality in Facebook will be a major focus in 2017. Though this will be an important transition for online marketing, many other trends are noticeably taking precedence. Adopting these trends now, or working them into your budget,  can help prepare your business for 2017.

Increased Video Importance

With the arrival of live video streaming across several networks, notably Facebook Live, the already impressive video medium is finally branching out. As live video streaming becomes more refined, businesses will be able to promote their new services in real time or show consumers behind the scenes. Video has always been a powerful way to get your message across to consumers, visual reinforcement can demonstrate products much easier than words ever could.

Business App Prevalence

Google recently began indexing apps, making the viability of mobile apps for businesses much more likely. Dedicated apps for brand news, special perks and mobile shopping are becoming more and more prevalent each day. By giving consumers the option to be attached to your business on the go, the likelihood of sales conversions becomes much greater.

Focused Content

The collective consumer attention span has dwindled with the explosion of social media. Though current SEO practices sometimes require long walls of texts to meet indexability criteria, it’s likely this will eventually change with current trends. Most consumers will only skim through content or share a story just based on the title. Creating content that is easily read while focusing only on important information will cut down reading time and convey messages properly.

Augmented Reality and VR Capabilities

With the introduction of Pokémon GO and various affordable virtual reality headsets, it is expected that many different businesses will begin experimenting with augmented reality and VR capabilities. Though designing the content for these platforms is currently relatively expensive, new, cheaper ways to deliver content will be developed. With the current rise of 360° cameras, the ability to create your own VR experiences may be just around the corner.

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on FacebookTwitterGoogle+ and LinkedIn!

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Digital Marketing News Marketing

How Search Functionality Will Impact Facebook in 2017

During a Q2 announcement in 2015, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the social media platform was facilitating 1.5 billion searches each day. The numbers can vary from who is reporting them, but with an estimated average of 3.5 billion searches being performed each day on Google, Facebook’s search numbers looked very promising.