With 91% of U.S. businesses using social media marketing — chances are your competitors are too. But isn’t social media just funny memes and people ranting about nothing? How effective is social media marketing really? Your competitors were right. The truth is that social media is effective and even one of the most important forms of marketing in our modern age. Are you interested in turning your business into an empire? Keep reading to learn about social media marketing and how effective it is for your brand.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing involves the use of social media platforms — you probably could have guessed that. The end goal for this type of marketing is to leverage social platforms in order to interact with both existing and new customers. Whether in the form of graphics, testimonials, or videos, all social media content is supposed to relate back to your brand. Here are some of the standard types of content that social media posts can be about:
– Snippets from your website
– Announcements about events/new products
– Testimonials and reviews from customers
– Pictures or videos of your product or service
– Introduce your staff (great for humanizing your brand!)
– Appreciation posts for your customers
Organic and Paid Social Media Marketing
When you’re posting content to your own social media page, it’s considered organic social media marketing. These posts only appear to people who already follow you or actively search for your brand. When you pay a social media platform to place your content on a targeted demographic’s feed and the discovery page, these posts go under the category of paid social media marketing. Both forms of social media marketing are effective. Organic social media excels at solidifying your brand, while paid social media gets your name out there. The best results occur when a business uses a hybrid social media marketing strategy that incorporates both organic and paid posts.
Why is Social Media Marketing Effective
Social media is a shining gem for big and small businesses alike. If utilized properly, it can propel your business into professional stardom. Let’s look at the why behind social media marketing effectiveness. Why is social media marketing effective? Here are our main points.
– A massive audience awaits
– It’s a cost-effective strategy
– Increase your web traffic
– Improve your search engine ranking
– Cement yourself as an industry leader
A Massive Audience Awaits
If there’s anything to take away from social media marketing, it’s the fact that you’re unlocking a massive audience. In fact, all the other points benefit from this new audience in some shape or form. How effective is social media marketing? When you utilize social media, you have the potential to reach 4.33 billion new people in 2021. There’s no sign of growth stopping either, as more than 2 billion people have joined social media in the last six years. Of course, you can’t expect all 4.33 billion of these people to come to your posts suddenly. But, thousands or even millions of new leads — that’s definitely something you want. If even a single one of your posts becomes viral, that’s millions of new eyes.
It’s a Cost-Effective Strategy
Social media marketing is the cheapest element of any advertising strategy. After all, creating a social media account is free for all major platforms, and there’s not a single fee involved. If you’re competent in your skills to create high-quality social media content, then your time is the only payment you need. Even with paid social media marketing, it remains the most cost-effective strategy when compared to other means.
If we look at the CRM (cost per thousand impressions) between social media and traditional marketing, social media is always cheaper. For instance, direct mail costs $70 per thousand impressions on average, while social media costs around $10 per thousand impressions. Social media marketing is 7x cheaper than direct mail advertising. Traditional marketing methods are cheaper than direct mail (e.g., billboards, television ads), but social media marketing remains the cheapest by far. With such cost-effective marketing, there’s no chance that your ROI (return on investment) isn’t exceptional.
Increase Your Website Traffic
Your website is the backbone and face of your brand. If you link your website on your social media bio, your potential leads are one tap away from accessing everything you’ve got to offer. With 4 billion people spending on average of 3 hours a day on social media — that’s ample time for your content to make them curious. Quality content and consistency will increase your website traffic even more. If people perceive typing in your website and going there manually to be too much effort — they just won’t do it. That’s why it’s essential to link your website on your social media page directly. Without social media marketing, your inbound traffic is often isolated to only your pre-existing supporters.
Improves Your Search Engine Ranking
Though high-quality website content is the number one factor for your search engine ranking, social media marketing can give you the competitive edge. Search engine ranking is influenced by SEO and overall quality but also by the level of website traffic. With proper social media marketing, you drive more people to your website. With more traffic, you get closer to the front page of major search engines like Google and Bing.
That’s even more traffic in the long run! Getting on the top page of a search engine is more than just a bragging point to your friends. Here’s the thing: 75% of searchers never get past the first page of results. While it might be hard to contend for the first or second spot, even getting on the bottom of the first page is something pivotal.
Cement Yourself as an Industry Leader
Social media marketing isn’t about spamming your audience and getting in their faces. The content you want to provide is those that establish you as a thought leader and expert. When you provide helpful content — even for those that don’t support your brand — your brand becomes associated with reliability. People trust experts more than they trust businesses. As an industry leader who consistently provides helpful content, you become the best of both worlds. A good reputation goes a long way!
Resources
https://datareportal.com/social-media-users
https://www.lyfemarketing.com/traditional-media-versus-social-media
https://www.webfx.com/how-much-does-social-media-advertising-cost.html
https://backlinko.com/social-media-users#social-media-usage-stats