Digital marketing strategy
5 reasons for social media needs
Social media is where your customers are.
The most fundamental rule of digital marketing is that you need to be visible where your customers are. Nearly three billion people worldwide use social media, and that number is set to grow. Social media is where your customers are, and that’s where you need to be.
Establish a presence for your brand on every social media platform that makes sense for you. The main platforms to focus on are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, but don’t overlook smaller platforms like TikTok, Pinterest and Snapchat if they’re relevant to your industry.
People are social beings who are very sensitive to the influence of others. Social proof works because we have an innate fear of missing out. When we see our friends and peers buying something, we want to buy it too. That’s why social influencer marketing has become so popular.
A great way to generate social proof for your brand is to encourage user-generated content through competitions or by offering discounts. Having social influencers with thousands of followers is great, but if enough people in your community see their friends, family and colleagues showing off your products or talking about your services, you’ll make just as big an impression.
This is where people leave reviews and recommendations.
What makes your brand, product or service stand out from the crowd? When someone decides to work with a small business they’ve found online, they need to be very confident.
People want to be sure they’re spending their money wisely, which is why most of them read reviews before even thinking about making a purchase or booking an appointment.
Reviews and recommendations on Facebook and other social media platforms provide your brand with additional social proof, which means more trust and more conversions. Every small business should have a plan in place to generate reviews and recommendations on social media.
Search engine optimization
They boost brand awareness.
Although social media can indirectly lead to increased sales, sales are not the main objective of social media. The main reason why all small businesses can benefit from social media is that it’s a powerful tool for brand recognition. In fact, according to Hootsuite, 52% of online brand discoveries take place on social media feeds.
No matter how well a brand is presented, most people aren’t ready to trust it the first time they encounter it. There’s an old marketing adage that says a person needs to see your message at least seven times before they’re ready to make a purchase.
The more you spread your name on social media, the more recognition and trust you’ll gain in your brand, and the more likely your followers will be to become your customers.
It’s the place for competition.
These days, the majority of companies are present on social media, whatever their size or sector of activity. Social media is where the competition is, because that’s where consumers are online. If you fail to establish a social media presence, you run the risk of losing market share to competitors with a social media presence.
Just because there’s a lot of competition on social media doesn’t mean all your competitors are doing things right. Understanding who your audience is, where they live and what interests them can give you a huge advantage.
