If you’re here, you already know what I’m going to say. Social media marketing for small businesses and any business for that matter is IMPORTANT. Probably more so than you already thought, and that’s okay. There has long been a stigma that social media marketing didn’t directly affect your company’s ROI and that really is not the case anymore. Social media has quickly become one of, if not the most influential space where you can digitally advertise your brand and your products. As a social media marketing manager, of course, I LOVE to see it and love to do it! But if you’re new to marketing, or just haven’t had the time before to focus your efforts on social media marketing tools and strategies, let me show you why you should be. Let’s start with the basics. What is social media? Originally it was created as a digital way for people to communicate with each other - sharing photos and life updates with their friends and family. While this still happens pretty much 24/7, social media platforms have quickly become a business of their own. The social media marketing benefits for a company are almost endless. The ability to connect and spread information world-wide is a huge perk. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more have created a marketing revolution for the world. With a global reach, it allows a company to communicate as if they were one-on-one with their audience, and in turn clients. So you can see why social media marketing is important, right?
Let’s dive in deeper. You don’t need to be a social media marketing business to see social media marketing's importance. Here are some more reasons why you should be using social media to your benefit.
Brand Awareness
Brand awareness represents how familiar your target audience is with your brand and how recognizable it is. What do you think of when you see red and yellow together? If you thought of McDonald’s and instantly want some french fries like me, then you understand brand awareness. A brand with high brand awareness is always on-trend, creating buzzworthy content. When you establish brand awareness, social media is one of the best tools to control the narrative. Posting relevant content to who you are as a company, and remaining consistent with your color schemes, and topics of posts all creates recognition of your brand. Social media marketing is helpful in keeping your brand noticed.
Understanding Your Audience
You’ve probably heard it all the time, who is your target audience? The more you understand who your target audience is, the more you’ll be able to focus your social media marketing campaigns and that will reach the audience most likely to convert into customers. It sounds like a riddle right? When you started your business, you may have had a general idea of who your ideal client is, so when you are posting on social media for your business, have that ideal client in mind. A great thing about social media is the analytics and insights you can gather. The more you post, whether organically or paid, the more you will learn about the clients you are reaching and in turn, can really tailor your efforts to who that audience is.
Increase Your Website Traffic
If you have a website that details your products, what your services are, and a blog that furthers you as an industry leader, social media marketing is totally for you! As you post on social media you can include the links to pages on your website that are relevant. The thought process behind this is, the more you share content and have more content available on your website, the more likely a person will become a client. They see you or your brand as a knowledgeable resource that can provide them with more context whatever it may be.
Advertising for Any Budget
Yep, you read that right! Earlier I mentioned organic and paid social media - if you’re not familiar with these terms, let me explain. Organic social media is any social media activity done without a paid promotion. Using free social media tools to grow and engage with your online following. Paid social media is when you are displaying advertisements or “sponsored” marketing messages on a social media channel. You can also be really specific with who you are marketing to, so it won’t be seen by everyone, just the people you believe to be your target audience. For Paid social media marketing, you can set the budget. Whether it’s a $5 boosted Instagram post, or a $5,000 campaign, it’s on your terms. Depending on your marketing budget you can create flexible campaigns to promote your business.
Authenticity and Genuine Relationships
This is probably the most important benefit and social media marketing tip I can give you. Social media’s roots being, communication, and connection come to play here. Nobody wants to see stuffy ads hawking products and services all day. Instead, consumers are really looking for that genuine connection to the brand. Social media marketing is the easiest way to showcase your brand’s authenticity and build on that. If you are handling your social media in-house, your community management must be real. Utilize your brand’s voice as if you were having a one-on-one conversation in person about what you are offering. Or if they have an issue, how would you want it handled personally? These things show that there is a real human behind the computer and phone.
So have I convinced you yet? Are you ready to make a social media account and promote your brand? If you need more help or information, reach out to me!
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