The process of marketing a brand has dramatically changed over the last few years thanks to a brilliant tool – social media.
Some marketers initially saw social media’s quick rise to prominence as a passing fad and an unprofitable interest, but the stats paint a different picture.
A study by Hubspot in 2014 showed that 92% of marketers saw social media as good for their business and 80% said that efforts in using social media resulted in increased web traffic.
But there are so many more reasons why your brand should invest time, money and dedication to social media marketing. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 –
1.) Increased Brand Recognition
An array of social media networks from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram act as news channels for a brand’s voice and content. Every social media channel is an opportunity to syndicate content and increase visibility, something that can only be seen as valuable.
Social media is easy and accessible for new customers, whilst being familiar and recognisable for existing customers. A frequent Twitter user could stumble upon your brand on their newsfeed and even the most apathetic customer will be better acquainted after seeing it on multiple networks.
2.) Improved Brand Loyalty
A report by the Texas Technology University shows that brands who engage with social media enjoy increased brand loyalty. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing customers into being brand loyal.
3.) More Opportunities For Content
Every single post on social media is a chance to convert. From blogs, images, videos and comments, each one opens the door for customers to react and develop a conversation.
4.) Higher Conversion Rate
Social Media Marketing is ultimately about conversion. The humanisation element of social media is why many brands find success; customers value the interaction across the channels.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that people like doing business with other people and not companies. Use this to your advantage and interact with customers on social media channels as much as possible.
5.) Higher Brand Authority
Taking from the last point, interacting with customers regularly are a show of good faith and they will eventually do the marketing for you.
What we mean by this is clear, people like to brag about a good service/product they’ve purchased and they will talk about you on social media. Not only is this valuable for your brand, but it also makes it appear more authoritive to any new potential users.
Also, remember to interact with any major influencers in your industry. Increased visible-authority will skyrocket and do no harm to your conversions.
6.) Increased Inbound Traffic
Without social media, inbound traffic is limited to people already familiar with the brand and keyword searches/page rank.
Every single social media channel is another path to your website. Content that is syndicated through these channels is an opportunity for another visitor, so make sure it is of the highest quality, as it will be naturally rewarded. Quality content brings inbound traffic, creating more leads and resulting in increased conversions.
7.) Decreased Marketing Costs
Hubspot claim in their survey of marketers (2014) that they only spend 6 hours per week on social media marketing and still see increased traffic. Just one hour a day of implementing a content and syndication strategy will get results.
Paid advertisements on social media are relatively cheap (depending on your goals) and once you have a better feel of what works, you can then budget and increase conversions correspondingly.
8.) Better Search Engine Rankings
For years, SEO has been the best way to capture traffic from search engines – but this is now changing.
The standard way to conquer the search engines involved regularly updating your brand’s blog with optimized title tags and Meta descriptions, but Google has made their page rankings more intelligent by implementing social media into the frame.
Because brands are always using social media, being active on your channels acts as a ‘brand signal’ to search engines. This will make your brand legitimate, credible and trustworthy for Google and will compliment any existing SEO that is in place. Having a strong social media presence is now mandatory.
9.) Richer Customer Experiences
At its core, social media is another communication channel much like email or phone calls. Every customer interaction is a chance to publically demonstrate your level of customer service and enrich relationships.
For example, if a customer complains on Twitter, you can respond immediately with an apology and make it right there and then. Any compliments your brand receives are also a chance to thank a customer and recommended more of your products/service.
10.) Improved Customer Insights
Social media is a great way to see what your customers are interested in and how they behave. Monitor comments you receive on your channels and syndicate your content to see which generates the most interest.
Using different promotions on different platforms will often have mixed results if you are still experimenting, so measure any conversions that come with these. Eventually you will find the perfect combination of promotion and customer service to generate revenue!
If Your Brand Isn’t Utilizing Social Media, You’re Falling Behind
It’s impossible in the majority of industries to not have fellow competitors, so if they are already on social media they will have poached your traffic and conversions.
Begin as soon as possible if you already haven’t. Social media marketing is built on relationship building, existing customers may post about your brand and their friends will see and thus followers will increase.
There’s also nothing to lose. You can create profiles and start posting at a minimal cost of a few hours a week and a few hundred quid.
At Forever Digital, we realize the importance of social media marketing. Not everyone is blessed with the knowledge on how to get the best out of social media as a tool, so get in contact with us if you have any queries.
Soon enough your brand could see more customers, increased traffic and eventually more conversions. Social media is here to stay!
