Benefits of Social Media Marketing
Content is everywhere, and it’s the lifeblood of your brand. It’s in the blogs you post, the videos you shoot, and the social media you post. This last area, in particular, can prove to have a drastic impact on your brand image and your marketing success. When you properly leverage social media, you can use it to elevate your brand marketing and create more visibility and success for your business.
The benefits of a social media strategy are clear, as explained in this Entrepreneur.com article about the impacts of a social media campaign on a brand. But the true value of social media goes beyond a single campaign. Your entire brand identity is tied up in the way you express yourself over social media platforms.
Often, it is a brand’s social presence that will be seen first, by both potential clients/customers and by potential partners and brand evangelists. This provides you as a marketer, savvy enough to leverage social media, with several advantages:
A Social Media Strategy allows you to connect with an audience
Your audience is almost guaranteed to spend more time on Facebook (or their social media platform of choice) than your website. With a strong social presence, you’re able to remain top of mind, create conversation, and reinforce your brand image.
This means customer service conversations often take place over social media. It means you have a chance to provide educational material and valuable content and to engage directly with those who you’re most eager to reach. The way you choose to approach your social presence tells your audience a lot about how you value your relationship with them.
Social proof is shared through social media
While testimonials are an important piece of any marketing strategy, often the best indication of success comes from unsolicited feedback. Social media platforms are often the place where customers go to complain about or sing the praises of a brand.
When your business does well and someone leaves a review, creates a post, or comments on your ad, don’t forget to thank them and leverage that review. Add it to your portfolio of positive feedback and know that it is being seen by others. In many ways, this allows your audience to do the marketing for you.
That said, don’t get too comfortable. Negative feedback is given just as much weight as positive, and a strong social media plan will include a strategy for responding to less than stellar reviews.
How can your ideas reach a wider audience?
The biggest benefit of creating a social media strategy is the ability to reach a wider audience cheaply and effectively. It’s a place where you can share your big ideas, start conversations, and elevate your brand.
As a marketer, you can take this as a challenge to hone in on your core message and share it to the world in a compelling way. Create and repurpose content that shares who you are, what you do, and why it’s important, and direct readers back to your website. Remember, social media is a gateway. It’s a first impression of your brand and your message, and those first impressions are memorable.
This is also a chance for your audience to see a peek behind the scenes of your business. Social media provides an avenue through which you can let your hair down and show the inner workings of your brand. Something you may not post on your main website about your process can find a home on social media.
Social media provides a window into your brand
When leveraged effectively, a strong social media platform can propel your brand forward, put you in the position of a thought leader, and make your brand more recognizable. This is a chance to earn more customers and clients and to create more social proof for yourself. It’s a piece of marketing strategy every brand needs to take into consideration, especially since it’s where their customers and clients are spending time.
Social media is important for every brand and business, no matter what industry you are in. Take the next step and work with Creative to establish a greater presence in social media.
