The new age giant
Image by reviews xp
(https://www.reviewsxp.com/blog/best-social-media-sites/)
Before we delve into the intricacies and the nitty-gritty of social media marketing, let’s go over what social media is and what it encompasses.
Winding the clock
Humans are inherently social animals. We crave attention and thrive in solidarity. One of the primary reasons people use social media is born out of the desire to be seen. To be noticed. To be appreciated or validated. Visibility is then, the keyword here.
The mere act of writing a letter and having an owl fly it over to the intended recipient was one of the first few acts born out of the need for communication.
Long before social networking came into being, picture sharing, blogging, music sharing, email, instant messaging, crowdsourcing, and voice-over IP were also considered “social media” considering the true meaning of social media is a “shift in how people discover, read, and share information, news, and content”.
The present-day
With the rise of social networking, social media has carved a niche for itself by being defined as virtual platforms where people and businesses interact with one another by creating, sharing, exchanging, and promoting information and ideas within communities and networks.
This information is typically user-generated content and can be in the form of the written word, photos, videos, and documents making social media a hub for information or content creation, sharing, and exchange.
(https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media.asp)
The spark within
Based on computer technology does not imply that it can be accessed by home computers alone. Nowadays, smartphones like the iphone and tablets like the ipad are capable of downloading social media applications, allowing ease of access from anywhere in the world at lightning speeds.
As long as you have an internet connection of course.
The advent of tablets and smartphones have paved the way for information access and sharing by giving people the opportunity to never miss out on any interesting or not so interesting news while on the go.
Have a look at this video that captures the benefits of using social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLBzAEAdsZY- Positive Effects of Social Media on Youth
Trouble in paradise
Besides the pros of social media like broadening your knowledge, connecting with people you know or even people you don’t know, online shopping, and even the mere joy, enjoyment, and excitement you get when viewing interesting content, there are some clear cut cons to spending oodles of time scrolling through social media with no obvious intent.
According to Lifewire, social media does come packed with disadvantages like privacy issues, cyber bullying, isolation from friends and family, seeking validation, distraction that inhibits an active lifestyle, and finally sleep disturbance leading to an overall more stressful experience of life.
(https://www.lifewire.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-networking-3486020)
Here’s a video highlighting some of the detrimental effects of social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fouSmgZBXsU- How Social Media is Destroying our Brains
It’s not all bad news however as the pros certainly outweigh the cons of using social media platforms. It all boils down to not whether you are using social media or not but rather how you use it.
Same same but different
Social media is segregated into many types based on the type of content going around.
(https://blog.digimind.com/en/insight-driven-marketing/what-are-the-types-of-social-media)
Let’s have a peek at the various types of social media.
- Social Networking Sites: From knowledge sharing to person-to-person conversations, platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter fall under this category.
Creating content like texts, photos, videos, and even sharing thoughts and creating groups based on related interests, the sky’s the limit when it comes down to using these social networking platforms as they are purely user centred.
- Image-Based Sites: Content like infographics, illustrations, and images are what do the rounds on sites like Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
- Video Sharing/Streaming Platforms: Some of us rather watch a movie than read a book. Similarly, video content can be said to be more engaging than other forms of content. Youtube is king under this category. I myself am a fan of videos when it boils down to assimilating massive amounts of information in a short span of time.
- Discussion Forums: Quora and Reddit are well-known discussion forums that allow people to get answers and or conversate with each other over their curiosities or shared interests.
- Blogs and Community Platforms: Platforms like Tumblr and Medium allow users to create and be a part of a community that they can follow and read all about what they have to say about similar interests.
There are a plethora of platforms that fall under these categories and based on one’s needs or interests, can be accessed at any time over the internet.
Staggering facts and stats
According to Pew Research Centre, young adults are the highest users of social media although the older generation are quickly catching up.
Almost 90% of young adults use at least one form of social media.
(https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/)
The graph below gives you a fair idea as to just how much young people love social media.
It also shows that senior citizens have not missed the bus when it comes to hopping on the social media wave.
Image by Broadband Search
(https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/social-media-facts-statistics)
The amount of people using social media platforms has gone up tremendously over the past decade and continues to rise as we speak. Or read.
Image by Oberlo
(https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/how-many-people-use-social-media)
The graph shows a steady increase in the number of people accessing, using, and who will be using social media in the times to come. This is no small number. Look closely. Yes, by 2027, the number of social media users is at 5.85 billion humans. And guess what. These users are educated, relatively wealthy, and possess a spending power that cannot be overlooked by anyone.
That’s where social media marketing comes into the picture and everyone wants a piece of the pie.
The marketing outlook
As we’ve read above, people use these platforms for many reasons and it all boils down to one thing. Marketing. People marketing themselves. People trying to gain visibility.
Brands have hopped onto this bandwagon too and have reaped tremendous benefits when it comes to visibility, engagement, sales, satisfaction, retention, loyalty, revenue, sales turnover, and the bottom line.
So what is it really?
Image by WordStream
(https://www.wordstream.com/social-media-marketing)
Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms to build your online presence in order to reach and influence existing and new customers, build a brand, drive website traffic, and even track the success of a brand’s efforts using data analytics to identify more ways to engage consumers to further up sales.
Crafting consistently relevant, unique, and interesting content is paramount in order to engage with and successfully advertise to your audience for social media marketing to pay off.
Considering what you’re about to read below, there is no harm and only good that comes out of social media marketing. If it’s done right. Just ask https://biginternetcommerce.com/#, they know what’s up. The sky.
The sky’s the limit.
Blow your mind away
It has been established that 80% of consumers are influenced by social media marketing which has in turn impacted their buying decisions.
(https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media-marketing-smm.asp)
According to a blog available on the BIE website, 71% of consumers who encounter a short response time are way more likely to mention your brand to others.
These statistics speak volumes.
Ignoring social media marketing is near suicide for business and must be taken seriously at all costs.
Why it works
Social Media works in the favor of marketers and brands because of its ability to establish connection, interaction, and give key insights into consumers buying habits.
Customer segmentation through demographics, geographics, and personal information gives brands the ability to create new strategies for engagement, relationship building, and promotion.
Social media marketing also makes way for “sticky content” that can be shared and endorsed, leading to a viral snowball effect, further driving brand awareness and growth through the roof.
Another interesting advantage of social media is the ability to grow your brand through earned media which happens when a customer reviews and recommends your brand or products to others. This is free if you have a great product going for you.
Your marketing efforts pay off when you bag your rewards as the viral fever spreads like fire.
The Upsides
It is clear that tailored content and campaigns that reach a vast number of consumers in no time is an upside in and of itself.
Image by WordStream
(https://www.wordstream.com/social-media-marketing)
Besides the obvious, there are other advantages we tend to overlook when it comes to social media marketing.
- Humanizing your business: Your brands profile, posts, and interactions come across to users as that of active participants which enables them to see your brand as approachable and trustworthy. Users can connect and familiarize themselves with you once they establish this feeling of closeness.
- Social Signals: If your page has multiple shares, likes, tweets, retweets, quotes, conversations, great visibility, and is popular among users then it’s a great plus in terms of the SEO factor and helps increase traffic to your website. More visitors. Higher chance of conversions.
- Lead Generation: Instagram and Facebook shops, call-to-action buttons, direct messaging, and appointment bookings can help generate leads and conversions.
Upside down
One disadvantage that is damaging to a brand’s reputation is that of negative publicity which may or may not be true.
People are entitled to their opinions and sometimes a lie gets halfway or in the case of social media, all the way around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. False viral content can put people off.
In this case, rapid disaster management is on the cards.
Brand management pro tips
They say ignorance is bliss.
Not when it comes to your brand’s reputation it’s not.
Here are some ways you can cushion yourself from negative publicity on social media platforms.
(https://growfusely.com/blog/fight-negative-image-bad-online-reputation/)
- Apologize if you’re wrong: There’s never any shame in apologizing. Make amends and move on. Share solutions you plan on implementing to right your wrong. It works wonders.
- Respond quickly: React and remedy the situation before your audience gets in on the drama.
- Fan support: A loyal fanbase acts like a backup. Your support system. Take them into confidence so they can defend your brand when it is the need of the hour. A brand advocate is a perfect person for this job.
Image by cea
(https://www.ceamarketing.com/2018/01/09/reputation-management/)
Here’s a video on how you can save your brand’s reputation on social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqBkF6ROIfw- How to effectively handle a negative comment on social media
The essentials
Having a social media strategy in mind before you dive into the social media marketing aspect is important so that your efforts don’t go unnoticed and unappreciated.
- Know your audience: Having an idea of who your audience or consumers are, their likes and dislikes, what type of content they consume, the platforms they use regularly, when and why they use these platforms, and who they follow are some of the questions you need to find answers to.
- Brand Identity: What do you want your audience to think and feel when consuming your content and what is the message you want to put through to them? This is important and your consumers need to be able to relate to your message or content in order for them to engage with you.
- Content Strategy: To produce high-quality content on a regular basis, a brand must be consistent in its messaging.
- Analytics: Calculable comprehension must be discerned to inform you of what you need to share, to whom you need to share, and the best times to share.
- Efficiency: Posting regularly, staying on top of all engagements and ensuring it is a two-way process, keeping up with the latest trends, and ensuring your being as truthful and accurate as you can be is the way to go.
- Inbound approach: Build meaningful and lasting relationships with customers and consumers. Adding value to your business by focusing on great content works wonders. This opens doors you never thought possible.
Following the 70-20-10 rule will do your brand good and is a great approach to social media marketing.
Image by WordStream
(https://www.wordstream.com/social-media-marketing)
Your go-to platforms
Image by ATW
Take a look at this video before you read on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSKG6BRhuKU- Top Social Media Ad Platforms and How To Use Them For Business
You can have many social media platforms in your arsenal where you can repost, repurpose, and recycle content so it gains the traction you’re looking for.
Making sure your brand story and brand voice finds a sweet spot between consistent and unique is crucial for your brands social media marketing success.
The bottom line
In the digital age, traditional marketing techniques, although important, won’t get you beyond a certain point.
If there is one thing that you should take away from this blog then it’s this. Moving with the times is imperative so you don’t lose out on any valuable business.
For you to become a successful social media marketer and ensure your brand reaches its highest potential, curating and crafting unique content is a must.
The 80/20 rule is a gold standard for social media marketing. This means that 80% of your posts should be useful to your audience while only 20% of your content must focus on promotion of your business.
The idea is not to yell, ask, or tell your customers to “buy from me” which can be rather frustrating and annoying. The last thing you want to do is ruin a reputation you worked so hard to build.
Engagement with your brand must be an enjoyable experience.
Educating, entertaining, and offering priceless solutions to your consumers and customers comes BAE. Before anything else.
This creates a strong brand image and will help when you move onto other social media platforms.
Creating a positive experience across all social media channels must be the ultimate goal.
Here’s a video explaining the power of the 80/20 rule.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwPAAM_CWjQ- The Power of the 80-20 rule in Social Media Marketing
Image by COMMERCIAL WEB SERVICES
(https://www.commercialwebservices.com/blog/2017/10/05/your-guide-to-the-8020-rule/)
Are you looking to reach and engage with a larger audience? Do you want to have a great social media marketing presence that just keeps getting bigger and better?
Don’t fret one bit. You don’t have to go on the journey alone. There is never any shame in seeking help to grow your business in the world of social media.
https://biginternetcommerce.com/# is your brand’s solution to the world of social media marketing ensuring your business garners traction beyond your wildest dreams, hand-holding you every step of the way to your goal of social media marketing success. Dream big and you shall get what you are looking for with https://biginternetcommerce.com/# as your gateway to, partner, and friend for life in the world of social media marketing.
