Social Media Marketing: What it is and why you need it | Social Link

We’ve all felt the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic—at times shut down and shut in, connecting to a community and interacting with others the only way we could: through social media. According to Hootsuite, the latest data shows that social media has grown by more than half a billion users over the previous 12 months. This equates to roughly 13 new users every second. As the audience grew, so did the power of social media marketing.

With more people shopping and interacting online than ever before, companies are learning to utilize these social media platforms as digital marketing tools to reach potential customers and connect with existing customers in real time at any time.

What is social media marketing anyway?
Before we go into more detail about why you should jump on board the social media marketing train, let’s take a step back. What is social media marketing? Simply put, social media marketing (also called, “SMM”) is a form of marketing where you create and share targeted content through various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to name a few.

Why has social media marketing become such a big deal?
Compared to more traditional marketing strategies, SMM gives you the unique opportunity to reach the maximum number of potential customers in a single post—and it’s more cost effective to boot. But it’s even more than that. Here are three major benefits to adding social media marketing to your digital marketing strategy:

1. Builds Brand Awareness. SMM gives you the ability to establish your brand’s personality, to tell your brand’s story, and put a face behind the name. Plus, sharing relatable content that connects your brand with the target audience makes it easier for potential customers to find you, interact with you, promote your brand by sharing your content with their friends (and so on and so on), and provides you with the opportunity to blow your audience away with stellar customer service.

2. Increases “Ideal” Inbound Traffic. SMM is like targeted marketing on steroids. On social platforms, you can hyper-target potential buyers based on exact specific demographics. This means, you can lead the ideal customers to your site, which offers a greater chance of converting a click to a sale.

3. Let the Pros Spread the Word. Partnering with influencers is all the rage these days, and for good reason. When trusted influencers endorse your brand, others follow. (Not to mention, this helps you build inbound links, which directly affect natural search engine ranking. But that’s another topic for another day.) Fun fact: influencers often aren’t celebrities, but everyday individuals with thousands of followers who regard them as experts in their field. When they mention your product/brand and provide a link, more traffic is effortlessly driven to your site.

When it comes to incorporating SMM into your advertising strategy, the benefits far outweigh the risks. So what do you say? Ready to get started on your social media marketing strategy but not sure where to start? You’re not alone. Let Social Link help. Click here for a comprehensive guide for social media marketing beginners.