Social media marketing (SMM) has taken over the digital world. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube and other social media platforms that were originally created for peer to peer human connection have become an enormous opportunity for the growth and success of businesses worldwide. If executed correctly, social media offers a great strategic advantage.
Most businesses already know that if they don’t utilize social media marketing they’re missing out on potentially huge gains. But with so many platforms to choose from, a lot of companies don’t know where to start. The good news is that social media marketing is relatively simple if you understand the advantages it has to offer your business.
Social Media Marketing (SMM) offers increased brand awareness and exposure
Marketing your business on social media is an excellent way to inform your audience of your brand identity, why your products or services are valuable, and how you can help them.
According to a survey conducted by Social Media Examiner, 91% of businesses who spent as little as 6 hours each week on their social media marketing efforts reported an increase in both brand awareness and exposure for their business. Creating pages for your company on appropriate social media platforms increases your visibility allowing you to engage with new customers in new ways. Post relevant, engaging content for your target audience that’s consistent with your brand to raise awareness and gain a larger following.
SMM delivers more inbound traffic
Social media marketing presents your business with a huge opportunity to generate new inbound traffic from an online audience which hasn’t yet discovered your products and/or services. Every profile you create on a social media platform offers an additional path for potential new customers to follow you and visit your website.
Many businesses offer products targeted at multiple generations. But if your brand only has a presence on one social media platform, you’re only engaging with a fraction of your target audience. If your target customers range from 18-45, you should be on a variety of platforms as each is preferred by a different demographic.
For example, Snapchat is used more commonly among younger millennials than it is older millennials, with 34% of 18-24 year olds using the platform every single day, compared to just 19% of 25-34 year olds. So if your primary target demographic is 18-24 year olds, and your business isn’t on Snapchat, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
Marketing on social media platforms offers more opportunities for conversion
While increased traffic doesn’t necessarily guarantee you more conversions, it definitely increases your chances. Higher visibility leads to more website visitors, which offers more opportunity to convince them to buy your products or services. Social media marketing works to improve your conversion rate by getting you in front of a larger audience, increasing brand awareness and trust, delivering more users to your site, and building interest in your products.
Set goals for performance before setting out on an SMM campaign.
Engage with followers to deliver outstanding customer service
Whether you’re reaching out to them personally to thank them for their purchase, or presenting them with an exclusive offer, social media gives your business one more platform to communicate with customers. Your goal should be to focus your social media marketing efforts on delivering a personal experience that delivers satisfaction, retains loyalty, and spreads positive reviews of your services.
When customers have an outstanding experience with your business, they’re likely to share their opinion on their social media accounts – and that’s free promotion. In fact, consumers who have a positive customer experience on social media are three times more likely to recommend the brand to others.
Would you like a social media strategy that drives more traffic, increases conversion rates and engages your customers?