What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media is used by billions of people around the world and is growing every day, so the time is ripe for marketers to embrace these platforms as a great way to reach out to their audiences. Successful marketing on social media can bring your business new customers and advocates that will continue to spread the word about what you have to offer, which will eventually drive leads and sales. There are many ways to use social media marketing to turn your users into hungry fans!

What is social media marketing?

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, just to name a few, are used by many people as a means to discover new products or services that interest them. If your business, product or service has a page on Facebook, it’s another way that people can find what you’re offering. In addition, you can use these platforms to advertise, and target certain demographics to aim these ads at. The social nature of these platforms means that people can share content with their friends and families, and pass it on to other people who may find it helpful. In addition, businesses can use social media to communicate directly with their customers in order to build relationships, offer helpful advice or information, and build trust with an audience.
Social media marketing is all about creating great content that people find interesting and helpful, and offering it up in a unique and eye-catching package. A popular post on social media will spark a lot of engagement and get people talking about what you do. It’s just another opportunity to showcase your product or service and, at the same time, provide people with information that can help them make a decision before buying.

What are the benefits of social media marketing?

When you market your business on social media, there are a few great benefits you’ll be able to see.

• Increase traffic to your website — You can point your content and ads back to a landing page on your website where you can prompt people to buy a product, sign up for an email list, or learn more about what you do.
• Improve awareness of your brand — All it takes is a few likes and shares, and you’ll have more people talking about what you do. Create fun and valuable content, and ask thoughtful questions that will prompt discussions among your fans.
• Improve your branding — You can show off personality and style on social media, and you can show your audience what you really care about. People like to know they’re a part of a community, so giving your brand a community feel will make people feel welcome. A brand that seems familiar, exciting, or innovative will get more engagement, credibility and new consumers.
• Strengthen customer relationships — Digital marketing on social media platforms is a perfect way to communicate with your audience and let them know how much you value the relationship you have with them. Use your page to share the love with your biggest followers, so they know they’re appreciated – they’ll happily become fans for life.
• Understand and reach new audiences — Instead of targeting based on keywords and phrases, social media allows businesses to reach markets based on demographics, interests, behaviors (including purchasing activities), and more. Social media gives companies insights on existing audiences, as well as the ability to reach new audiences. With a relatively cost-effective method of advertising, social media is a great avenue to collect data on audience behavior and use it to get in front of the eyes of a high quality market.

Which platforms should I use

There are many platforms of social media marketing to choose from – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. The platforms you use are dependent on your industry and audience. Where are your competitors on social media? Where can you find your audience? Knowing which platforms to use is the first piece to creating a social media strategy for your business. Along with finding where your competition and customers are on social media, you’ll need to understand which platforms will be best for conveying your message to an audience. Social media is all about two-way communication and joining a conversation, and not all the networks will necessarily be the best fit. For example, if your company doesn’t have many digital assets or scenes to photograph, Instagram won’t be the best avenue for your business to utilize. Whichever platforms you choose to join, it’s crucial that they all remain active and provide value to your audience.

Contact our social media experts at SocialSEO! It’s time to ensure your social media marketing is performing.