*Global Data Report suggests that there were approximately 4.66 billion internet users when 2021 began which is almost 60% of the world’s total population.
This said we can say that almost everyone is online and it’s one of the reasons why social media marketing has become a crucial component of every digital strategy. It’s the key to opening so many opportunities that have yet to be explored for businesses!
Here are 5 reasons why we believe social media is worth exploring as part of your marketing plan:
1) Increases Brand Awareness
Social paid ads are a big part of digital marketing. They can be used to reach different sets of audiences, wherever they may be, and in the different social media channels, your business is also in. Doing targeted ads help you reach a wider audience by targeting potential consumers who will be interested in the products or services you offer.
However, if you’re unsure about running ads, simply having a cohesive, data-driven plan that identifies the interest and attributes of your customers you want to reach and the types of social media creatives you can use will definitely help increase brand recognition and visibility!
Other easy ways to increase awareness online include actively posting relevant content on a consistent basis, having seasonal promotions, and arming yourself with a bulletproof influencer program. Remember, when posting any type of content on social media, make sure it is in line with your brand’s messaging and that it engages a broader audience. When this happens, your business is exposed to a whole new market that builds potential customers.
The crucial takeaway from this is letting your audience experience your brand via social media as you maximize the platform in any way you can. In the end, this awareness, when appropriate, transforms into sales and brand loyalty.
2) Cost-Effective
Almost anyone can sign up and create a social media business page for free. It isn’t like the “old days” where you need to print thousands of flyers to spread the word or spend quite a lot of cash just trying to get a radio shoutout when you’re not even sure if you will get anything in return.
With social media advertising requiring relatively low budgets compared to other traditional marketing tactics, it continuously proves to be a time and cost-efficient way to get your business out there while ensuring greater returns. Social media ad impressions also cost lower, making it more cost-effective because smaller bids and overall ad spend is possible.
However, if you venture into paid ads, you may end up spending a little bit more the first time, but trust that with some fine-tuning, you will definitely get more than what you invest.
3) Measure, Report, and Improve
One of the most valuable advantages of social media is it gives you the ability to gather insights. It can be anything from what the current and upcoming trends are, what your audience is interested in, what your market doesn’t like, and even how you can further improve your content. Social media can serve as a research tool that helps you understand the industry you’re in by analyzing competitor brands, your consumer demographics, and the most effective type of content segmentation. When paired with paid ads, optimizations, and the ease of doing A/B testing, you can do almost anything!
By putting all these together, you can set S.M.A.R.T goals while pinpointing your brand’s weaknesses, improving them, and making your strengths something your brand can fully own. Trust us, it pays off!
4) Boosts Your Search Engine Ranking
Let’s be real, not everyone has the patience to scroll past page 1 when they’re surfing the net. This is the very reason why it’s important for businesses to show up on the first page of Google search. With an excellent SEO ranking, your brand can achieve just that while also bringing in more website traffic.
But you might ask: Isn’t SEO different from social media marketing?
The answer: Yes. It’s a completely different aspect of digital marketing but that doesn’t mean it’s not related at all! When you have a strong presence on social media, it’s bound to build up your credibility online, whether it’s through content such as blogs, infographics, or business information, or even doubling down on the use of certain keywords you want your brand to be related to.
Social media can also increase your SEO ranking through influential consumers who might write and blog about your brand. Pretty cool, right?
5) Improves Brand Loyalty
Building brand loyalty among your consumers is a key factor in maintaining a successful business regime. Social media brings brand loyalty closer to reach by serving as a platform for the audience to communicate directly with a business and vice versa. This can be through photo tagging, success stories, online reviews, or anything that allows customers to share their insights and feelings about a brand.
Of course, a brand communicates back by engaging regularly with consumers through customer service, User Generated Content (UGC) features, and community management. For example, simply re-sharing a customer’s photo is one major way to make that connection with them and show that your brand cares.
Interested in learning more about how your business can grow and reach new heights on social media? Then your advertising needs a little moxie. Talk to us today by clicking here.
*See data on Digital Around The World.