Oct 8, 2019
Your business has grown from word-of-mouth referrals and nurturing long-term relationships over the years, but why stop there? Social media marketing is booming, allowing you to expand your reach without waiting around.
73% of Americans regularly use more than one social media platform. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or another platform, your target customers are scrolling, liking, and sharing every single day. In other words, every day is a fresh opportunity for you to attract new customers.
If you’re not, your competitors certainly are.
Here are six reasons you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of social media marketing.
1. Awareness
You’re going to have a difficult time attracting customers if they don’t know who you are first.
Every social media post positions your business in front of new people. Using hashtags can help you narrow down that audience. With the right list, you can increase your visibility among the people most likely to become paying customers.
Many people check their social media accounts multiple times a day (don’t you?). Each time people see your brand, they become more likely to pick you from the crowd.
Don’t give potential customers a chance to forget who you are and the awesome benefits of working with your business. With a social media content calendar, you can stick to a consistent schedule and remain top-of-mind for a long time.
2. Authority
Once your audience starts seeing your brand, you need to stand out.
Your customers are searching for the best in the business. They need a company they can rely on, with the expertise to solve their problems—a thought leader. It’s not enough to say you’re an “expert in your field” or “#1 in the biz.” Prove it!
Show customers they can go to you for relevant information and the latest industry trends. You’ll start to see the importance of social media marketing in action as more people begin to trust your expertise and insights. In time, brand trust will grow into brand loyalty.
3. Authenticity
Your company is more than just a service or a well-packaged product. People look for a human connection in-person and online.
Social media marketing gives you a chance to show customers you care about their problems and needs. Introduce your followers to employees and clients as real-world proof.
You can show authenticity through your captions, too. Instead of dry jargon and corporate-speak, humanize your brand with a distinct tone and voice. Speak with your customers, not at them. Make sure your posts connect back to your company’s brand and values—proving you keep those values close to heart.
4. Engagement
Don’t miscalculate the importance of social media marketing as a tool for getting people engaged. Once you recognize who your audience is and what they care about, it’s easier to know what types of content they’ll respond to. Mix it up!
Try an Instagram story one day and a Twitter poll the next. 93% of businesses attract a new customer from social video content, so start producing! Keep in mind that each social media platform requires its own distinct strategy.
Use social media marketing to start a two-way conversation with your customers. If they have a problem, show you’re there to offer support. In addition to increasing contact with your followers, social media gives you the chance to improve customer satisfaction, too. People will use social media to talk about your business online. 42% of people expect a response within 60 minutes as part of quality customer service.
By using your online presence to address positive and negative comments, you’re showing customers you care about their experience. Their feedback is a chance for your company to make improvements, so listen up!
5. SEO & Site Traffic
Search engine bots crawl your website for the pages that attract the most traffic. While it’s important to offer your visitors quality content, they need to know it’s there, first.
While a social media presence isn’t a direct ranking factor, link building definitely is.
If you’re trying to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing can help. Driving website traffic from social media can increase your ranking, push you towards the top of a search page, and help you attract even more customers.
As you post content your followers actually want, you’re also appealing to their search intent. Along with social signals, quality content can improve your SEO success and help you attract the high-converting traffic you need to grow your business.
Brand awareness relies on repeat exposure. The more often people see your ads, the more likely they’ll remember your company name.
In competitive niches, SEO can take time before you appear on the first search page. Digital ads allow you to get in front of people the same day you create a campaign. SEO and SEM can even work together to improve your online rankings and expand your reach!
6. Sales
Well-executed social media marketing can increase sales, too.
Once you start drawing in website traffic, you can turn that initial interest into a sale.
Start by adding social proof to your website, including testimonials, case studies, and product reviews. Social proof shows your customers are happy and benefiting from your product or service. As consumers, we search for evidence a company is the right choice before making a purchase.
User-generated content works as a type of social proof. By sharing posts from your happy, loyal customers, you can assure your on-the-fence audience there’s plenty to gain from choosing your business.
By answering questions, offering incentives, and engaging your followers online, you can influence their purchasing decisions and lead them through the sales funnel. Social media platforms provide valuable analytics you can use to improve your marketing. With that hard data, you can determine what content people respond to and how far they traveled through the sales funnel. Social media helps nurture your customers, too, turning that funnel into a cycle full of loyal fans.
A tight marketing budget doesn’t leave a lot of room for unexpected costs. If you decide against paid advertising, you can still use social media to gain new leads, convert them into customers, and raise your ROI.
From Likes to Loyal Customers: The Importance of Social Media Marketing
More companies are recognizing the importance of social media marketing to build their business. Your competitors are already there, getting customers engaged with industry-relevant content (and the occasional meme). With a sound strategy, you can get ahead of the competition and in front of your audience first. The sooner you start, the faster you’ll grow. In the meantime, check out these content creation ideas to kickstart your social media marketing. Or you can hire a digital marketing agency to help maximize your results.
Fable Heart Media is Here For You.
Whether you own a small company or lead a marketing team, Fable Heart Media can help you achieve your business goals. Our process focuses on driving measurable growth and obtaining results. Of course, we love creating beautiful websites and writing awesome blogs, but for us, nothing tops the feeling of seeing our customers grow online due to our partnership.
We Help You Achieve Measurable Growth
We are Fable Heart Media, a digital marketing agency in Jacksonville, FL, that focuses on driving measurable growth and obtaining results for our clients. Whether you own a small company or lead a marketing team, our team can help you achieve your business goals. We love creating stunning websites and writing awesome blogs, but for us, nothing tops the feeling of watching our clients grow online due to our marketing partnership.