Small businesses are usually in a quandary over which type of marketing strategies to invest in. They have a limited budget, which makes the businesses cautious about their marketing strategies to get the most for your money.
Marketing through social media is versatile and pocket friendly. The strategies involving social media marketing can boost sales and reach a wider demographic over time. According to a survey, 97 percent of marketers are now using social media to reach their prospects.
Social media has gradually evolved from a socializing tool among close friends, to the most elemental aspect of digital marketing.
Why should Social Media be your Primary Marketing Tool?
There are so many reasons I can put before you to convince you why social media marketing should be your primary marketing tool. It is easily accessible, manageable and budget friendly.
- You can effortlessly find new customers thorough social media.
- Customers are more receptive to social media ads.
- Social media marketing increases brand recognition.
- Social media marketing improves your inbound traffic.
- Each social media handle targets a specific set of people.
- You can target and retarget your consumers through social media marketing.
- Social media marketing is budget friendly.
- Your competition is also on social media.
- People look for recommendations on social media.
- Connect with invisible customers through social media.
- Social media marketing uplifts your brand authority.
You can Effortlessly find Customers through Social Media
Statista found in a report that more than 3.6 billion people are using social media worldwide. They also projected the number to increase to 4.4 billion by 2025, almost 75 percent of the world population.
The study also found that 70 percent of the U.S population are present on social media. It is safe to assume that your target is present on social media. Many social media handles such as Facebook, and Instagram also allow you to advertise your brand in any way possible.
Facebook also introduced a new feature, Facebook Business where you can directly sell your product, or services without needing to even create a website. It does not mean you should not invest in a solid website.
Customers are More Receptive to Social Media Ads
Users are constantly active on social media. Not all at the same time though. Social media offers fun and interesting way to interact with one another, increase peer groups and keep in touch with old friends and family.
Users are not expecting advertisements on social media, unlike on prime time television channels, where you are bombarded with ads every 10 to 15 minutes.
However, it does not mean they do not interact with their favorite brand. Fans keep visiting the pages of their favorite brands. It is convenient for both. You can post simple updates, or craft videos that will be visible on your customer’s feed to peak the latter’s interest.
Social media has also allowed consumers to have a direct communication channel with their brands. Writing long emails, and waiting on a phone call to get in touch with the customer support is ancient history. You can easily send a message through social media handles and get an instant, intimate response, instead of automatically generated ones.
Many businesses also hold live Q and A sessions to answer any questions their consumers and prospects might have.
Social Media Marketing Increases Brand Recognition
Social media is a great way of increasing visibility. It presents your business with unique opportunities to enhance your brand personality by sharing content and get your voice out.
You can post almost any kind of content to add value to your social media handle and improve your reach.
Compelling content can generate leads, and get you indirect promotions as well. You have to be creative with social media marketing. Unique content can create buzz. It helps your loyal customers to become more acquainted with your brand. If the consumers like the content, they will definitely share it on their account and give you more exposure.
Social Media Marketing Improves your Inbound Traffic
Your social media accounts are a powerful tool, if used wisely. They are a great way to increase inbound traffic to your webpage.
Marketing through social media if executed properly, it will be an excellent way of facilitating your search engine optimization (SEO). Every image, blog, video, and status you post is an opportunity to bring new visitors to your website.
Once they come to your site, you will get an opportunity to convert those prospects. Inbound traffic can be increased through consistently publishing engaging content.
Each Social Media Handle Targets a Specific Set of People
With the increasing number of social media handles available, everyone can opt for the one which speaks to them the most. People who like visuals can opt for Instagram. Those who enjoy small talks can find haven in Twitter, while those who are open to more options enjoy Facebook.
You can easily use this to your benefit. Craft strategic posts to target audience on each social media channel.
Know and understand your audience by knowing their demographic, gender, age, location and interests etc. You can use these items and create content which will appeal to them.
You do not have to create your presence on each and every social media platform. It is going to be a waste of your time, money and energy. Know which social media channel is your target audience is most likely to use. This way you can create content suitable for that platform. For instance, Instagram profiles require visually attractive posts, instead of long captions.
You can Target and Retarget your Consumers through Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is cost effective, if not free. Even if you are on a budget, you can use Social media to target and retarget your ideal customers through organic campaigns.
Social media provides sophisticated targeting capabilities. Facebook, for example, lets you target ideal purchasers, allowing you to draw such traffic to your site which can increase conversions.
Facebook ads also help to identify potential leads whom it can serve your ad content.
Social Media Marketing is Budget Friendly
Like I said earlier, unlike conventional marketing, SMM is really easy on your pocket. You can cut on drastic marketing costs without compromising on quality.
You do need to invest time and creativity in it. Have conversations with your followers, respond to their reviews and comments. Keep them in the loop by constantly updating them on new products, discounts and other things.
Even if your budget is really small, you can easily run paid ads on Facebook and Twitter and leave a strong impact on the people.
Your Competition is also on Social Media
Social media has become an integral part of marketing. No matter which industry you belong to, your competition is already there. Be it business giants like Dior, Benz, or small ones, they are already involved with their audience.
It is an opportunity as well as a challenge for your brand to do well on social media. However, it does not mean you will not succeed. Social media gives you equal chance to enhance your online presence.
Increase your Conversion Rates through Social Media Marketing
HubSpot found that social media has a 100 percent higher lead-to close rate than outbound marketing.
The reason is simple. Each interaction, and post on social media gives you a unique opportunity to convert the prospects into a satisfied customer.
Build a reputation with your leads through meaningful content. Improve your trust and credibility through one on one interactions and by bringing in the human factor. Social media shows that your brand is a human, and not a machine. It gives you the opportunity to show your personality, humor, and passion.
People Look for Recommendations on Social Media
A friend of mine always asks for our recommendation before making any purchase. She just posts the question on her social media account, and gets tons of answers. Word of mouth marketing is real, and effective in social media.
It is free, and goes a long way to build trust with leads. Social media, in my opinion, is the best word of mouth marketing. Brands are encouraging reviews on their profiles. Apple did a campaign, where it asked the customers to upload pictures they took with their iPhone to get it posted on Apple’s official Instagram account. Needless to say, the campaign was a huge success.
Even those who do not have an iPhone were using the hashtag #shotoniPhone.
People are actively looking for recommendations on social media. These recommendations have a strong effect on their buying behavior. Therefore, encourage your customers to leave a review. If anyone leaves a negative one, take care of it as soon as possible.
Connect with Invisible Customers through Social Media
SEO and PPC ad traffic helps you to find and engage with new leads, but it does not bring forth the invisible customers. Social media is an excellent outlet for getting new customers. However, it is also great if you want to connect with your old time customers.
Social listening brings you an understanding of what the client wants, and what are their needs. You can use certain keywords and check out the current trends to tap into new markets.
Your business will gain access to influencers with whom you can partner for more leads and greater brand recognition.
Social Media Marketing Uplifts your Brand Authority
Another great benefit social media marketing offers is brand authority. You can post blogs, viable data to provide customers any kind of information about your brand and industry. Eventually you can position your business as a leader in the market place through sound content.
When the readers will share your content with their peers you will get more visibility and become an authority in your relevant field.
Concluding Remarks
Social media marketing is a golden goose. You do not need to be laden with money to invest in social media campaigns and running ads.
All you need is calculated planning. With SMM you can increase your brand recognition, boost your SEO ranking, tap a larger market, and interact with your audience. You can use social media to listen to your customers closely, and familiarize yourself with current trends.
Social media allows you to understand your customers’ buying patterns, to know what fits best with them. You can measure your conversions across various channels to know what works and what does not.
If you are already present on social media, but unable to get the desired results, Ternion Solution can help you market. Ternion’s social media experts know what you need to build and maintain an impressionable social media campaign, to gain a thriving audience, especially for small scale businesses.
