In today’s digital age, people rely on technology more than ever. Many people own multiple digital devices – including mobile phones, laptops and tablets – and spend several hours a day online. This new trend means that effective online marketing is now one of the most important ways to build a successful modern business. Social media is a powerful tool that allows business owners to advertise and promote their brand, communicate with their audience, and attract new customers. All businesses should be taking advantage of the benefits of social media in their marketing strategies. With that in mind, here are our top ways to capitalise on the changing social media marketing opportunities.
Build brand awareness
Social networks allow you to introduce your brand to people and increase your visibility. Over time, your business will become recognisable to people and this will help you become established as an authority in your industry. Customers are far more likely to buy from a company they know and trust, so this is an effective way to increase revenue and gain repeat business. What’s more, search engines evaluate the authority and relevance of web pages when deciding on rankings. So, if you establish brand authority then you will show up higher in search engine results, leading to more traffic and conversions.
Save on marketing costs
Every business owner knows that investing in marketing can become extremely expensive. One of the main benefits of social media is that it usually costs nothing to set up an account and post content. This means you can engage with your customers, build brand visibility, and advertise your products and services without paying a penny! One of the most popular social media networks among businesses is Facebook. On this network, you can build a Facebook page for free and some businesses even use this an alternative to a website. With a Facebook page, you can track customer behaviour with page and audience insights, showcase photos and videos, include all your company details and logo, and receive customer messages, plus plenty more. There is also the option to increase exposure with paid advertisements.
Improve customer service
In today’s modern age, most consumers prefer to communicate through social media. One of the main benefits of social media is that it allows businesses to respond to any customer queries quickly and effectively. According to Forbes – “71 % of consumers who receive a quick response on social media are more likely to recommend the brand to other people.” Answering your customers needs in public also demonstrates the quality of your customer service and helps to build transparency and trust.
Increase traffic to your site
Posting regular quality content is one of the most effective ways to increase traffic to your website. People are constantly looking for content that interests them on social networks. Every new piece of content you post to social media, is an opportunity for consumers to visit your site. More traffic to your site should mean more leads and conversions, which will help increase sales and grow your business. Another great benefit of social media is that it encourages people to share quality content, which helps to promote visibility and means that your content will reach a larger audience.
Achieve high SEO rankings
In order to show up high on search engine rankings, it is no longer enough to simply update your blog regularly, or include a few key words and links in your content. Search engines, like Google, are constantly changing the way they rank content and social media presence may be a significant factor in where you show up on search result pages. Strong, authoritative brands almost always use social media. For that reason, being active on social media could help demonstrate to search engines that your business is legitimate and credible, thus improving your search rankings.
Gain customer insights
Another key advantage of social media is that it provides the opportunity to gain valuable information on your customers. This includes – what they are interested in, how they behave online, and what they think about your brand and the competition. This information can be obtained via social listening which is an important tool in audience research. Having this valuable customer insight will allow you to tailor your social media marketing and devise strategies to connect with your audience more effectively.
When done right, social media is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to build brand awareness, gain more customers, and increase revenue. All modern businesses should take advantage of this trend by investing in social media and regarding it as an key part of their marketing efforts.
