Social media is now a substantial part of every marketing strategy, and the benefits of using social media are so great that anyone not implementing this cost-effective resource is missing out on a phenomenal marketing opportunity. It’s easy to see that social media marketing is a key element to marketing success, and many marketers realize the potential for business growth using the platform. Major business owners like Juan Luis Bosch Gutierrez have implemented the use of social media marketing strategies to improve their sales and at the same time their brand has become stronger.
However, some of these professionals are unsure of what tactics to apply and whether they are effective. According to Social Media Examiner, about 96% of marketers currently engage in social media marketing, but 85% of participants are unsure which tools are best to use.
1. Increased brand awareness
Social media is one of the most cost-effective digital marketing methods used to syndicate content and increase your company’s visibility. Implementing a social media strategy will greatly increase your brand recognition by engaging with a wide audience of consumers. To get started, create social media profiles for your business and begin interacting with others. Have employees, business partners and sponsors “like” and “share” your page.
Simply having people interact with your content will increase brand awareness and begin to build your reputation as a company. Each post that is shared will be introduced to a new network of people, which can lead them to become potential customers, and the more people that know about your business, the better.
By investing just a few hours per week, over 91% of marketers stated that their social marketing efforts greatly increased their exposure. There is no doubt that simply having a social media page will benefit your brand and, with regular use, can generate a wide audience for your business.
2. More inbound traffic
Without marketing your business on social media, your inbound traffic is limited to your regular customers. People familiar with your brand are likely to search for the same keywords you already rank for. If you don’t use social media as part of your marketing strategy, you’ll have a much harder time reaching anyone outside your circle of loyal customers.
Every social media profile you add to your marketing mix is a gateway to your website, and every piece of content you post is another opportunity to acquire a new customer. Social media is a melting pot of different types of people with different backgrounds and behaviors. With different people come different needs and different ways of thinking.
Distributing your content on as many platforms as possible allows these people to organically reach your business. For example, perhaps someone in an older demographic of consumers searches for your website using a particular keyword on Facebook, but a millennial might start their search using a completely different social media platform because they search for products in a completely different way. By marketing on social media, you can effectively open your business to a wider variety of versatile consumers around the world.
3. Higher conversion rates
With increased visibility, your company gets more opportunities for conversion. Every blog post, image, video or comment can drive viewers to your company’s website and increase traffic. Social media marketing allows your business to make a positive impression through a humanizing factor. When brands are interactive by sharing content, commenting and posting statuses on social media, they personify a brand. People prefer to do business with other people, rather than companies.
More than 51% of marketers said that taking the time to develop relationships with consumers showed positive results in sales. The better impression you make on a visitor, the more likely they are to think of your business when the need for your product or service arises. Studies have also shown that social media has a 100% higher customer close rate than outbound marketing. When a brand is interactive online, consumers who follow your brand’s accounts often begin to trust the credibility of your business more completely.
People use social media platforms to stay connected with their friends, family and communities. Since people are already talking, why not include your brand in the mix? Chances are they will mention your brand to a friend when their products or services are needed, which will generally provide your business with social proof of your quality. As reported by Social Media Examiner, about 66% of marketers saw lead generation benefits from using social media platforms at least 6 hours per week. Putting your brand in an atmosphere where people are sharing, liking and talking can only improve conversion rates on your existing traffic.
4. Improved customer satisfaction
Social media is a networking and communication platform. Creating a voice for your company through these platforms is important to humanize your company. Customers appreciate knowing that when they post comments on your pages, they will receive a personalized response rather than an automated message. Being able to acknowledge each comment shows that you are attentive to your visitors’ needs and aim to provide the best experience.
Every customer interaction on your company’s social media accounts is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate your compassion for your customers. Whether a person has a question or a complaint, social media allows you to address the issue through interpersonal dialogue. A brand dedicated to customer satisfaction that takes the time to compose personal messages will inherently be viewed in a positive light, even if you are responding to a customer complaint.
5. Improved search engine rankings
While posting on social media can generate site traffic for your business, it takes more effort to see significant success. Search engine optimization is very important to achieve higher page rankings and get traffic to your company’s website. While social media does not directly increase search engine rankings, Social Media Examiner states that over 58% of marketers who have been using social media for a year or more continue to see improved search engine rankings.
Being able to rank in the top positions for your keywords will revolutionize your traffic and continue to generate positive results for your business. Let’s face it, everyone uses Google to search for information and chances are they won’t go beyond page 1 because your answer is usually on the first page of results. If your company’s website is not ranking at the top of the search engine results, you should probably adjust your search engine optimization strategy. To have the best chance of ranking better through social media, create high-quality content that integrates your specific keywords.
Content such as blogs, infographics, case studies, business information and employee photos will make your company’s social media profile intriguing and credible. Once you start posting quality content, you will begin to build a social media community where followers will “like” and “share” your content. More importantly, it gives you more opportunities to get in front of industry influencers who will write about your business and provide you with links, which will help directly increase search engine rankings.
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