Two decades ago, marketing was conducted via traditional platforms like radio, television, billboards, or print. However, with the advent of social networks, and the evolution of the internet, marketing has been revolutionized.
According to a 2021 survey conducted by Pew Research Center, the number of active social media users has increased from 5 percent in 2005 to 72 percent now. As a result, businesses now have new and innovative alternatives to reach their target market.
So, what is social media marketing?
It is the act of producing and sharing content on social networking sites, like Instagram or Facebook that advertises a service or product, nurtures a community, and boosts consumer traffic to your brand.
Let’s take a closer look at how social media has transformed the marketing landscape.
How Social Media Has Changed Marketing
“I use social media as an idea generator, trend mapper, and strategic compass for all of our online business ventures,” said Paul Barron, CEO of Rever Networks. Whether it is the emergence of new career paths or the creation of innovative marketing strategies, it is impossible to dispute the impact of social media on the digital world.
It has produced a distinctive atmosphere for businesses to sell their services and reach a larger customer base. Additionally, it facilitates instant conversations with consumers while increasing product and brand advocacy.
Read on to understand a few ways through which social media marketing makes this possible.
Accessible To All
Conventional marketing demands high costs and efforts without guaranteeing your interaction with consumers. Contrarily, social media marketing democratizes the landscape, giving even small businesses an opportunity to connect with their target audience.
You can easily set up an account on any social media platform, and leverage it to market and eventually sell your product. With no initial costs but dedicated efforts, you can easily make your social media marketing strategy a success.
Builds Transparency
Customer trust is the core factor that dictates the growth of your brand. Statistics prove that 54 percent of consumers use social media to research businesses before trusting their products or buying from them.
Social media marketing helps companies offer transparency to their clients. It promotes a two-way interaction between the audience and brands to broaden the reach and visibility of the business.
Customers can now engage in direct conversation with brands, giving them feedback, recommendations, or reviews. Through excellent advertising, customer support, and product development, businesses can further boost their brand reputation, in turn increasing sales.
Expands Sales
Creating good quality content is another effective way of providing value to your audience. This builds the trust and credibility of your company, initiating the first step of the consumer’s buying journey.
With social media, posting content has been made free. Companies no longer have to rely on advertisements for marketing, rather they can share informational content, and enhance their efforts with campaigns and commercials.
These advertisements are demographically targeted and attract relevant users to your account. This focused approach and transparency in the marketing schemes of a brand contribute to sales.
Paid And Organic Campaigns At One Place
With effective social media features and good-quality content, organic marketing campaigns work fairly well. However, most companies want to run ads occasionally to boost the reach and visibility, if not sales of the brand.
Social media platforms provide you with the opportunity to execute paid and free campaigns simultaneously. Here, content can be distributed without being advertised.
Why Is Social Media Marketing Mandatory For Your Business?
In a world connected through the internet, not having a social media presence can be detrimental to your brand. Your company needs a social existence and the most inexpensive, fast, and effective way to achieve this is through social media marketing.
Here are a few reasons why social media marketing is crucial for your brand.
Humanizes Your Brand
No one wants to purchase from a brand without a face or a story. And the best way to forge real human connections is through social media.
Imagine encountering a company online that provides the services you need, but does not offer any information about its background or the people involved in the team. Will you trust the brand? Most likely, not.
With social media features, you can easily introduce your team members through videos, posts, stories, or by going live. Try adding human emotions while doing this to make people identify with your brand as a person rather than just a name.
Helps You Know Your Audience Better
Social media provides you with real-time data of your consumers. Instead of guessing the needs of your customers, you can now get accurate analytics of what your audience demands.
All major social media sites offer analytical tools that provide demographic data on the users engaging with your account. Every click, comment, or share they make online further specifies the stored data.
Global Reach
Social media equalizes the marketing landscape for all businesses. Even a small store located in a corner of a town has the potential to go viral and attain a global reach through social media presence.
Creating informative content and promoting it through organic campaigns or paid commercials, when implemented correctly, can work wonders for you.
Improves SEO Rankings
Optimizing your website and consistently posting on your blog is not enough to make your brand rank. Having a social media presence is crucial. Businesses that share content on social media communicate their reliability, consistency, and integrity with search engines, increasing their chances of securing a better rank.
The importance of social media marketing in helping a business grow is undeniable. It is the most efficient and cost-effective method of marketing your services or products to a larger audience and building a strong brand reputation.
Although the benefits of social media marketing are innumerable, you require a well-planned strategy to make it work. If you are finding this to be a challenge, the social media management team at Brand Ally Studio can assist you.
