Would you like to increase sales, become more profitable, and find a larger stream of customers? As a company out to make money, you probably answered yes. But while you know what you want to do, what is the best way to get there? Social media and marketing within these platforms might be what you’ve been seeking.
Digital marketing has become a must in today’s world. There is simply no escaping it. However, for business owners, it can feel like a confusing mash of products and strategies that may or may not be a good use of marketing funds. One of the newest methods (which isn’t exactly that new) of marketing to consumers is social media.
While you might have a personal social media account, do you have a business account? Are you effectively using this to your advantage, or do you even need it? In this article, we explore the top reasons why you should be putting social media at the forefront of your marketing plan and how to achieve better results from using the common platforms.
The Importance of Branding
Who is your company? What do you have to offer? Why should a customer choose your products or services? These are basic questions all marketers will ask you when assisting with branding, but what is branding correctly, and why do you need it, and how does social media play a role?
Branding is anything a customer can relate to you. This typically includes the products you sell, the services you offer, and what your company stands for. Branding is what will set your company apart from others, and is a crucial step no company should omit. One of the first branding activities you might undertake is to create a company name and logo. After that, all other marketing that grows your brand can also be included, such as social media marketing.
Your presence online matters more than you might think. Almost everyone goes online to find products and services. This trend is showing no signs of slowing down, either. An estimated 94% of companies will have a website in 2019, making social media platforms extremely relevant to corporate branding efforts. If this is the case, which ones should you be using, and how can you make them work for you?
Social Media Based on Audience
Did you know billions are actively using social media every month? The latest numbers indicate that Facebook has, on average, 2.2 billion active monthly users. Compare this with the number of users Instagram sees at over 1 billion active users a month and it’s clear that these platforms offer an unprecedented opportunity.
Your audience will play a significant role as to which social media platform will be the most effective for you to utilize. Each platform, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Pinterest, Twitter, and Youtube has its own audience based on age demographic. Facebook commands a broader spread of users, with everyone from millennials to people in their 80s being on the platform.
Instagram sees about 72% of their usage from 13-17-year-olds. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that you are only limited to one or the other. There is an excellent opportunity within each, no matter what age group you are targeting. However, it is essential to know your audience when choosing which platform to focus on.
Facebook marketing has become much easier, and there are numerous options available to businesses. Establishing a business page is the first step, and from there you can start interacting with customers or potential customers. The idea behind social media marketing is consistency. You want to give your viewers engaging content on a regular basis. For some companies, this can be a challenge. Hiring a marketing firm or specialist that understands an effective marketing strategy for social media can be the best solution in these instances.
No matter which platform you decide to go with, growing a social media following is essential. The more people you have in your network, the more shares you can get. The more people who are talking about you and your products, the better.
When creating engaging audience based content, you will want to factor in who you are marketing to. The graphics, colors, and font will make a massive difference in the reactions you receive. To make things easier, there are Facebook post templates available online to get you started which are an excellent way to streamline the process of creating engaging posts that drive traffic.
As mentioned above, consistency is critical. But for most business owners, time is always a factor, and creating content that is highly sharable, relatable, and increases user engagement isn’t always easy. But if a marketing plan is put into action, you can expect to see more exceptional results from social media marketing than other types of marketing.
Social Media Based On Industry
When designing a social media campaign based on the industry, there are many useful strategies you can implement — the most effective strategy being to post things that are niche related. For example, if you are a plumbing company, posting memes on Facebook about plumbing problems, whether it be humorous or information is in line with your company.
A customer will start to associate you with being a plumbing contractor, which is what builds your brand. Avoid posting unnecessary things that aren’t related to your business.
You should create content that your customers can interact with as well. Another great tip is don’t post to post. Many companies will create posts to get their name out there, but this doesn’t carry much value, and viewers typically skip over non-relatable posts.
Top Reasons You Should Use Social Media for Marketing
We’ve covered that marketing on social media should be done based on who your target audience is. We’ve also established that it is essential to keep posts on your page in line with your company because relatable content is king. But here are some fundamental reasons that make social media marketing one of the most crucial pieces of the puzzle every business should be taking advantage of.
1. Gaining Traffic
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for gaining more traffic to your company’s website as well as your business page. When customers visit your site, they can leave feedback or reviews of their experience. Social media enhances their experience and makes it easy for you to share information. Gaining traffic to your company’s website is a huge perk, and allows your customers to know more about your business.
2. Interacting With Customers
People love being able to reach out to companies. They are also quite fond of getting fast replies. Social media has made this more feasible than ever and perhaps one of the best ways to interact with a broader audience. Your viewers can comment on posts, ask a question via messenger, and much more.
When creating posts, you should always consider the user’s experience. You want content that is engaging and that elicits a response. Polls and asking questions are great for getting people involved and interacting with your business. The more you interact, the more massive your social media following will be.
3. Insight and Marketing Research
What many companies enjoy is gaining customer insight about their products and services. Social media platforms provide excellent opportunities for valuable research through the use of polls and questions. The best part is, you get a vast amount of information without having to pay.
4. It’s Inexpensive to Use
You don’t have to hire anyone to set up a social media account, nor do you have to have someone else run it. While it makes the process easier to have help with daily operations, it isn’t a must. Your time is valuable so you may want to consider the benefits of using a social media marketing firm or online tools to make it easier to track ads, comments, and posts.
5. Extend Your Reach- Thinking Globally
If your company is determined to go global, there is no better, less expensive way than social media to get advertising all over the world. Your post has unlimited potential reach and can gain followers from anywhere. Creating one piece of content that goes viral has the ability to reach millions of people quickly from around the world.
6. Reputation Management – What Are People Saying About Your Company and How Are You Handling It?
When a customer leaves a bad review, it can hurt your business significantly. Addressing customer concerns and showing that you care as a company is crucial. Social media provides a great avenue to reply to, and interact with, your customers. Another company reputation management benefit is posting positive reviews on your Google Business page or review sites. Showing positive reviews to viewers is an excellent way to gain trust.
