Ad Agency Uses the Art of Social Media to Gain New Business
EVOK Advertising, proactive in their social media efforts to gain new business, is also becoming a model of perfection for clients engaging in the medium.
- Orlando, FL (1888PressRelease) July 21, 2010 - In today's economy, businesses are faced with the overwhelming challenge to find innovative ways to secure new clients, while competing with others who are trying to do the same. To win the battle, many companies are turning to social media to energize new business initiatives. EVOK Advertising is not only encouraging clients to use social media to its full potential, but also using it themselves to their strategic advantage.
Social media can be a complicated, time-consuming whirlwind full of unique and valuable opportunities. Aside from just existing on the Internet, the growing number of apps on smartphones has allowed social media to be more easily accessible. Leading social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, have become established forums for engaging customers and can ultimately drive sales and open new target markets. The more people or businesses "liking" a company on Facebook, "following" them on Twitter, or "joining" their network on Linkedin, the greater chance that company has to expand their reach. A prime example is EVOK's Twitter page, (evoklarry), which is fast approaching 35,000 followers, and is one of the most followed advertising agencies on Twitter in the United States.
Larry Meador, managing partner of EVOK said, "Business owners and executives are hearing so much about social networking through "buzz words," that they feel the need to jump on the bandwagon and implement their own Facebook and Twitter pages, but many are doing so without a plan for measurement. As a true case study for our clients showing their potential return on their investment, EVOK developed a new business strategy utilizing some well-known social media outlets, implemented the plan and documented the results."
Results are measured differently with each strategy, as each has unique goals; however, most are rooted in the fundamental principle of building "social currency." Social currency is a common term that can be understood as the entirety of actual and potential resources, which arise from the presence in social networks and communities. It derives from Pierre Bourdieu's social capital theory regarding increasing one's sense of community by granting access to information and knowledge, helping to form one's identity, and providing status and recognition. To attain greater social currency, companies must provide value to their target audience by using their social know-how to determine their target's likes, dislikes and interests. With this information, companies should be able to provide consumers with rich content that can strengthen their business-to-consumer relationship by creating common threads.
Using social media to create engagement is similar to business networking or being a member of a board, chamber or business association, in that you typically get a return equivalent to your investment. The more time a company is willing to invest, the greater their potential yield. In EVOK's previously mentioned case study, EVOK used Twitter and Facebook to promote weekly whitepapers, which are free educational articles written by EVOK team members that focus on emerging ad industry trends. Utilizing Twitter and Facebook, EVOK followers clicked a tweeted or posted link and were led to EVOK's website. According to Barbara DeHaven, EVOK's director of new business development, "Casting a wide net through social media has changed the way EVOK generates new business. Now more than 30 percent of our website traffic comes directly through social media."
Social media is an intricate piece of the puzzle for gaining new business and must be integrated with traditional methods for businesses to be successful. In one of EVOK's target audience research studies, more than 40 percent of brand managers stated that they found their agency versus their agency finding them, many through social media. As clients are becoming more web and interactive savvy, there is no better time for businesses to be proactive in their approach to gaining new business opportunities through the medium.
There will always be opportunities for businesses to reach their target through a variety of mediums, including public relations outreach and paid media, but there is no doubt social media is gaining momentum as part of a company's overall marketing mix. Those who explore ways to integrate it into their marketing strategy now, will soon find that they are exponentially ahead of their competitors in consumer engagement and gaining new business.
Located in Lake Mary and co-founded by Scott Disbennett and Larry Meador, EVOK is a team of individuals who together capitalize on years of experience working on both the client and agency sides of the industry. With extensive and diverse capabilities, EVOK Advertising is equipped to provide a high level of service to their clients in all key areas of advertising, public relations, marketing and visual communications.
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