Tata Communications is the 6th biggest telecommunications provider in India with headquarters in both Mumbai and Singapore. In their 2014 report, they found that 78 percent of Singaporeans feel ‘left out’ when they are disconnected from the Internet. Moreover, the study revealed that 43 percent of Singaporeans use the Internet actively for more than six hours a day.
This is why more and more businesses in Singapore are logging onto social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to reach their target market. But the online community is one of the most fickle and elusive group of consumers who can either make, break and ignore your brand.
Starting a business in Singapore? While many small and medium-sized businesses are comforted with advertisements via traditional channels (television, radio, and newspaper), here are some reasons and tips on how to use the power of social media to your advantage.
Content Strategy
In 1996, Bill Gates wrote an article titled Content is King wherein he, somehow, predicted the future trend of content marketing.
“One of the exciting things about the Internet is that anyone with a PC and a modem can publish whatever content they can create. In a sense, the Internet is the multimedia equivalent of the photocopier. It allows material to be duplicated at low cost, no matter the size of the audience,” wrote Gates.
In today’s social media age, brands need to compete all the more for their message to be heard among the many other messages posted online every day. Your business’ message and voice need to be clear, crisp and consistent.
This is where the statement ‘Content is king’ can be applied. In order to reach and make contact with your target audience, you need to shoot the message through the heart. This means releasing online content that is relevant to your target market. You have to hit their sweet spot.
Don’t just cramp your online profiles with advertisements that say “Buy, buy buy”! Find a way on how to make your online content relevant to your target audience.
Still in the dark? This is where copywriters come in. Professional copywriters like the ones from Quantico Copywriting Agency Singapore can help business owners come up with that brand voice that can stand out from the already congested digital world of social media.
Video Marketing
In the 2013 Social Media Usage Statistics for Singapore report from Infographics.SG, Singapore has 3.93 million YouTube users.
The study also revealed that 46.2 percent Singaporeans use social media for research prior to a purchase while 51.2 percent use social media to make a decision.
Video marketing has been around for ages but with today’s social media breakout, more and more brands have seen how video marketing can lead to potential sales and strong brand recall because of their share-worthy factor.
In a survey conducted by digital marketing agency Delos Incorporated, researcher predicted that in 2017, internet video traffic will cover 69 percent of all consumer internet traffic. They also found that an average site visitor spends 88 percent more time browsing a website that has videos. Lastly, 46 percent of the participants said they are more likely to buy a product or try a service after watching an online video about it.
YouTube isn’t the only video platform in social media today. Facebook and Instagram also offer video uploading platforms for brands and consumer to communicate. It is no secret that big brands hook viewers and consumers with emotional content. One best example would be Dodge’s #DodgeWisdom campaign wherein their official 2015 Dodge Super Bowl commercial touched hearts using the age-old wisdom from seniors.
While it takes a team of professionals and a huge budget to come up with videos of the same caliber, video marketing isn’t exclusive to big brands. As long as you have that unique idea to help you connect with consumers, there are numerous basic video editing software you can use for free. Plus, you don’t need anyone’s permission to post your video online and uploading is way easier today than it was in the past. Anyone with a Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube account can upload a short marketing video and anyone with a social media account can make it trend for you.
Blogger Endorsements
These days, everyone can be a blogger. But blogging is serious business and marketers know just how important the blogging community can be.
Professional bloggers often come up with relevant and consistent content, which make them good endorsers for your brands. Bloggers also have a large number of followers who either read their posts at leisure or follow them religiously.
In terms of online influence and large readership, bloggers can help you with digital and social media marketing tactics. What’s good about blogger endorsements is that they are not exclusive to blog posts alone. Bloggers are all about sharing their personal experience about food, travel, lifestyle and products on social media. You get both the best of both digital and social media marketing.
According to The Smart Local website, here are the most influential bloggers in Singapore today:
• ladyironchef – Food blog by Brad Lau
• ieatishootipost – Food blog by Dr. Leslie Tay
• danielsfooddiary – Food blog by Daniel Ang
• xiaxue – Beauty and parenting blog by Wendy Cheng
• Mr Brown – Current affairs and social issues blog by Lee Kin Mun
