Social media marketing has become an essential part of the modern customer journey, underscoring the importance of social media marketing for businesses of all sizes.
According to data from Statista, approximately 5.3 billion people use the internet worldwide. Of these, 4.95 billion are active social media users, meaning that more than 60% of the world’s population spends a portion of their time on social platforms. If businesses aren’t taking advantage of social media, they’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
In this article, you will learn what social media marketing is, how social media increases revenue, and 7 ways it can improve your business.
Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing that leverages the power of popular social media to achieve marketing and branding goals. But it’s not just about creating business accounts and posting whenever you want. Social media marketing requires an ever-evolving strategy with measurable goals, including:
- Maintain and optimize profiles.
- Post images, videos, stories and live streams that represent your brand and attract a relevant audience.
- Respond to comments, share and like posts, and monitor reputation.
- Follow and interact with followers, customers and influencers to build a community around the brand.
Social media marketing also includes paid social media advertising, where businesses can pay to appear in front of large volumes of highly targeted users.
The data makes it clear that social media should be part of any marketing strategy. Not only does it allow a business to connect with customers, it also fosters brand loyalty and can increase sales. If your business is still on the fence about using social media, it’s time to reconsider.
- Targeted social media posts can attract more potential customers at a lower cost per click than targeted ads on Google.
- You can define a specific audience based on age, location, education, industry, and even user behavior based on the pages they have followed.
- Marketers can automate processes like content publishing to save time and costs, maximizing the most impactful moments for audience engagement.
- Social media allows you to engage with current and potential customers not only through discount codes and product launches, but also by answering questions, building connections around shared interests, and offering relevant content.
- Social media marketing strengthens sales by building brand loyalty and influencing purchasing decisions at different stages, from amplifying blog reach to answering questions and offering incentives with discount coupons.
- Social media allows you to demonstrate leadership and expertise by answering questions and providing advice without the need to sell directly.
Social media skills are not the only requirement for building a brand and marketing. It is important to develop a solid foundation in business and finance through advanced programs, such as an MBA in Marketing. These programs provide the tools necessary to build successful brands and lead marketing strategies effectively.
1. Capture attention and increase brand recognition
If people don’t know about your business, they can’t become your customers. Social media marketing increases your visibility among potential customers, allowing you to reach a wide audience without investing too much time and effort. Plus, creating a business profile on major platforms is free, so there’s nothing to lose.
However, consumers can feel overwhelmed by the number of companies trying to promote their brands on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms. So how can a business stand out with relevant content in such a saturated environment?
Original content and quality design can make all the difference. Between GIFs, memes, live streams, and more, a well-planned content strategy can reach your desired audience. It’s critical to understand what type of messages resonate with customers, how they will identify with the brand, and what will motivate them to engage with posts.
Defining specific social media goals is also key to an effective strategy. Do you want new customers to discover your services? Are you looking to attract more local shoppers to your stores? By being clear about your purpose, you can choose the right platforms for your business and take advantage of the potential of social media.
Consumers are becoming more demanding and selective about the brands they support. Before making a purchasing decision, they often do research online, checking out a company’s website and social media accounts.
Having strong, up-to-date profiles with relevant content reinforces brand authority and creates a positive first impression. This shows that the business is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and approachable.
To strengthen this image, you can create posts that showcase industry expertise, such as specialized articles or content related to the company’s mission. By sharing knowledge, you build trust with potential customers.
3. Show authenticity
Consumers are not attracted to impersonal corporate publications.
That’s why it’s important that your brand’s personality is reflected in all the content shared on social media. What does your brand’s voice sound like? What values does it represent?
While maintaining empathy with your audience is critical, finding an authentic voice and taking clear stances is even more important.
The key is to strike the right tone, whether casual and fun or professional and friendly. Authenticity is what creates real connections with followers.
4. Encourage interaction
Even a simple post, such as promoting a pair of shoes, can generate a lot of likes, comments and shares. Users can interact with each other in the comments, asking about shopping experiences, shipping times and product reviews.
Social media marketing facilitates instant communication, relationship building, and customer loyalty.
Plus, platforms are constantly evolving with new features, which can be overwhelming for some businesses. But you don’t need to use them all. The important thing is to experiment with new ways to connect with your audience and learn in the process.
From a series of Instagram Stories showing behind-the-scenes company videos to a Facebook Live Q&A, there are plenty of ways to encourage engagement. Over time, it will become easier to identify what type of content followers prefer.
5. Grow affordably
Although social media should not be used exclusively for selling, it is a marketing channel, and sales opportunities should not be wasted.
Sponsored posts, call-to-action videos, cross-targeting, and shoppable posts are key social media strategies.
Marketing costs can be high, and not all companies can afford large campaigns. However, social media advertising offers a high return on investment that is affordable.
Businesses of any size can expand their audience and reach their goals through advertising on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Even on networks like Instagram, which focus more on interaction, there are strategies to increase sales.
To make the most of social media advertising, it is essential to define the target audience and the purpose of the campaign. This way, you can avoid wasting your budget on ineffective ads. Also, instead of overly promotional content, it is preferable to opt for posts that educate or entertain, or both at the same time.
6. Provide customer service
Social media has broken down barriers between businesses and customers. Instead of calling a customer service line, many consumers turn to platforms like Facebook or Twitter to resolve problems or find information.
Brands can strengthen their reputation as accessible and engaging businesses by offering support on social media:
- Implementing a system to monitor comments, questions and complaints.
- Responding quickly to concerns.
- Being positive and helpful.
- Listening to criticism and making customers feel heard.
- Knowing when to move public conversations into private messages to resolve issues more efficiently.
7. Improve search engine positioning (SEO)
Although social media does not directly affect search engine optimization (SEO), its impact on search rankings is significant.
A business with social media marketing increases its online presence and generates more traffic to its website. Search engines, such as Google, detect this activity and can improve the site’s position in search results.
Social signals, such as shares, likes, comments, and clicks, indicate that content is valuable. This can increase a website’s authority and relevance.
For example, a widely shared blog post on Facebook or LinkedIn can generate backlinks, site visits, and increased visibility, contributing to better rankings.
Let’s take a local bakery as an example. By posting engaging content and promotions on Instagram, you’ll attract more visitors to your website, which will improve your position in local search results and make it easier for customers to find you online.
Ultimately, integrating a social media marketing strategy not only makes it easier to connect with your audience, but it also strengthens your SEO efforts. The importance of social media marketing for business cannot be underestimated.
