Most small businesses are careful about what type of marketing strategies they invest in. When you have a limited marketing budget, it’s important that you spend it wisely to get the most for your money. Marketing through social media is one of the most versatile and cost-effective strategies that small businesses can use to reach their target audience and boost sales over time. That’s why 97% of marketers are using social media to reach their audiences.
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So what’s so great about social media marketing? Here are our agency’s top 15 reasons why marketing through social media is a must for small businesses.
15 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Have Marketing Through Social Media
1. Your customers are on social media.
One of the best reasons for your small business to be marketing through social media is that your customers are spending time on these channels. According to Statista, 70% of the U.S. population has at least one social media profile. And by 2021, the number of worldwide social media users is expected to reach about 3.1 billion people. With so many consumers using social media every day, this presents a great opportunity for small businesses that want to reach their online audience.
Not only are your customers on social media, but there’s a good chance that many of them are checking these sites every day.
Connecting with your target audience can be easy if you are active on the channels that they use most often. In other words, don’t make your audience come to you – go to your audience! If you aren’t already on social media, you could be missing out on an important chance to connect with your customers and engage new leads.
2. Consumers will be more receptive to your messages when marketing through social media.
Users are active on social media platforms because these channels offer a fun and easy way to network, keep in touch with friends and family, and stay connected with what’s going on in the world. Typically, users are not on these channels with the expectation that they are going to be marketed to. But this does not mean that social media users aren’t following and interacting with their favorite brands.
In fact, according to MarketingSherpa, 95% of online adults ages 18 to 34 are likely to follow a brand on social media. However, when users follow brands and engage with their social media profiles, it is because they find the content and information in these social media campaigns valuable. Whether they are looking for deals, enjoy entertaining content, or just want to learn more about the brand, social media users are open to engaging with brands on social media channels.
The reason why consumers may be more receptive to your brand message on social media is that social media allows you to be more conversational and show a different side of your brand. The content that you publish on these channels contributes to your brand personality and helps you demonstrate your brand voice. On social media, you are able to make authentic connections with your leads and customers, rather than just delivering direct marketing messages. This is something that consumers are generally more responsive to.
It’s probably not new to you to find customers and companies discussing an issue/ concern about their brand on Twitter. Or maybe you have stumbled upon some brands’ Q & As on Instagram Stories. Most marketers see these social media channels as a way to get to know their audience better in a more personal way. So you should too.
3. Marketing through social media can help increase brand recognition.
Another benefit of marketing through social media is that it helps you improve visibility, and thus increase recognition for your brand. Your business social media profiles present new opportunities to share your content and really present your brand’s voice and personality. By posting compelling content that adds value for your target audience, you are making your brand both more accessible and familiar for new leads and current customers.
For example, let’s say that a new lead stumbles upon your brand on social media. They may not have heard of your company before, but through your social media content, they are able to learn more about your brand and the value that you provide. This same situation can apply to your current customers. After seeing your social media content on multiple networks, existing customers are able to become better acquainted with your business, which may increase their interest in a repeat purchase.
4. Marketing through social media increases your inbound traffic.
Your social media profiles provide yet another way to get more inbound traffic to your website. This makes marketing through social media an excellent strategy to complement your search engine optimization efforts. Each piece of content that you post to your social media profiles is another opportunity to bring new visitors to your site. Once the visitor gets to your site, you will have the opportunity to convert.
In order to get the most inbound traffic possible, it’s important that you consistently publish content that is engaging and adds value for your target audience. The more quality content that you post on your social media channels, the more opportunities you have to engage new leads and direct them back to your website. If your website is optimized for conversions than it will only be a matter of time before these new leads convert into customers.
5. Different social media channels help you reach specific audiences.
Another benefit of social media marketing is that you are able to strategically target different audiences based on the channels that your brand is active on. Rather than just putting your marketing message out there for everyone to see, you can reach your target market and work to drive more qualified leads back to your site.
Create a clear list of your audience demographic values – the more detailed it is, the better. This list can include their gender, age, location, interests, the brands they follow, hobbies, etc. Knowing these values will give you more ideas on which social media channel you should use to reach them. Also, this will help you in creating content that will engage your audience thus increasing your chances for conversions. The more relevant this traffic is, the more likely you will be to boost conversion rates.
No matter who you are trying to reach, you can find your audience on one of the many popular social media channels that consumers are using every day.
The key to getting the most out of your social media marketing is to strategically choose which channels you plan to invest your time, money, and effort in. Not sure which social media channels are right for you? Check out our post on the best social media platforms for your business to find out more about each channel and how it can benefit you based on your target audience and goals.
6. Social media advertising allows you to target and retarget ideal consumers.
Though social media advertising does require a bit of an up-front investment, social ads can do a lot to complement the organic campaigns that you are running on your social media channels. With sophisticated targeting capabilities, social media platforms like Facebook help you target your ideal buyers, which allows you to drive more relevant traffic to your site. This is the best way to get the most out of your marketing spend.
With Facebook ads, you can identify new potential leads by defining your ideal customer through the ads platform. Then, Facebook allows you to serve your ad content to those who exhibit the same types of behaviors that your target audience does. As you drive more relevant traffic to your brand site, you can improve outcomes, no matter what your ad goals may be.
7. Marketing through social media is cost-effective.
One of the greatest benefits of marketing through social media is that it helps you cut marketing costs without sacrificing results. Most of your social media results will come from investing time in creating and publishing content as well as having conversations with your fans and followers. The good news is that even just a few hours a week can have significant results. In fact, HubSpot reports that 84% of marketers were able to generate increased traffic with as little as six hours of effort spent on social media per week.
As shown below in a cross-channel analysis, the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) on social media can be as low as $2.50. This is 3x less expensive than advertising through traditional media.
Even if you decide to make social media advertising a significant part of your social media strategy, you will still find that social media marketing is cost-effective. Depending on your goals and the scope of your campaign, it is relatively inexpensive to run paid ads on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. No matter how small your budget is, you are still able to make an impact on these channels to reach and convert new leads.
8. Social media marketing may help improve your search engine rankings.
There’s a good chance that you’re already focused on improving your search engine optimization. But did you know that search engines may be using your social media presence as a factor in their rankings? Successful brands tend to have a healthy social media presence, so a strong social media presence may act as a signal to search engines that your brand is valuable, credible, and trustworthy. Though the ranking factors are always changing, it’s a safe bet that active social media channels will end up helping you in the end.
Search engines pay attention to your social media behavior, especially links to social content and social signals like likes and shares.
Not only could your social media presence impact your search engine rankings, but it’s important to note that your social media profiles will most likely show up on the first page of Google when consumers are looking for your brand. If the consumer clicks on your social profiles and finds that they are outdated or unengaging, they may decide to take their business elsewhere. That’s why it’s important to not only consistently publish compelling content on your social media channels, but also check your profile information periodically and make changes and updates as needed.
9. Your competition is on social media.
No matter what industry you are in or who your target market is, there is a good chance that your competitors are already present and involved on social media channels. This not only suggests that there is an opportunity for your brand to do well on these channels, but it means that some of your potential customers may already be talking with the competition as we speak.
If you want to remain competitive in the digital marketplace, it’s vital that you start working toward building a presence on social media. Social media content allows you to not only show a little bit of your brand personality, but it also presents an effective outlet for demonstrating your industry expertise and knowledge. This is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition and bring in more relevant online traffic.
10. Marketing on social media leads to higher conversion rates.
According to HubSpot, social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing tactics. That could be because every post you make and each interaction you have on your social media channels is an opportunity to convert an interested lead into a happy customer. By building a report with your leads and customers and posting valuable content on a consistent basis, your brand can work to improve trust and credibility, which leads to more conversions.
The most significant element of social media that results in more conversions is the ability to bring a more human component to your brand messaging. Since social media is a place for consumers to socialize and network, brands are able to show the human side of their brand through light, often conversational content that allows each company to show their personality, humor, and warmth.
11. Social media marketing helps improve brand loyalty.
While larger companies can afford to build big and expensive customer loyalty programs, small businesses have to rely on other, more affordable methods for building brand loyalty. Social media is an effective way to build relationships with leads and customers that lead to greater satisfaction and loyalty over time. In fact, a study from Texas Tech University shows that brands who engage with their current customers and target audience on social media channels enjoy higher loyalty from their customers.
Engaging with your customers and leads on social media helps you build stronger customer relationships. This can set you apart from your competition by showing your audience how your brand is different and reinforcing that your business cares about its customers. By engaging with your audience through valuable, compelling content and conversation, you can work to turn happy customers into brand advocates.
12. Consumers are looking for recommendations on social media.
Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools that any company has in their marketing toolbox. Not only is it free, but it goes a long way in helping you build trust with new leads. In many ways, social media has become a new outlet for word-of-mouth marketing. Now more than ever, brands are encouraging their customers to leave reviews on their social media profiles, recommend their brand to friends and family on social, or provide testimonials.
And for good reason! Consumers are more likely to buy from brands that have been recommended. These recommendations don’t necessarily have to come from a friend, family member, or co-worker. As you can see by the statistics below, consumers are just as likely to trust online reviews as they are to trust personal recommendations.
Not only do consumers trust reviews on social media, but they often seek them out before making a purchasing decision.
These statistics also suggest that consumers are actively seeking recommendations on social media and that these recommendations do impact their buying behavior. For this reason, it’s important that you actively encourage your happy customers to leave your brand a review on social media and recommend your products and services to others. This is a great way to generate some of that valuable word-of-mouth magic that helps sales soar.
13. Social media helps connect your brand with customers you didn’t know existed.
Most brands rely on search engine optimization and PPC ad traffic to find and engage new leads. However, marketing through social media can be an excellent outlet for bringing in new consumers. As we discussed above, recommendations or reviews on social media can go a long way in helping your brand connect with customers that you didn’t know existed. But there are other ways that your company can use social media to tap into new markets.
One way that you can find new customers and market opportunities on your social channels is through social listening. By following certain keywords and checking out trending topics in your industry, you can see who is taking part in the conversation. This can provide your business with a wealth of new lead opportunities while also introducing you to industry influencers who you may be able to partner with to boost visibility.
14. Marketing through social media can help you improve brand authority.
Marketing through social media helps you build authority for your brand. This is an important part of effectively positioning your business as a leader in the marketplace. The more valuable content you are sharing on social media, the more you opportunities you have to demonstrate your expertise to leads and customers.
When others share your content with their fans and followers or mention your brand in their posts, this helps build your brand authority even further. The more that social media users talk about your brand, the more valuable your brand will seem to others. This will inspire new audience members to see what your business is all about and even follow your company for your updates and insights.
15. Social media marketing gives you the opportunity to gain new customer insights.
And last but not least… social media marketing gives you the valuable opportunity to gain new insights into your customers. By interacting with leads and current customers on social media, you are able to see what your customers are interested in and what drives them.
If you periodically take a look at what your customers are talking about on social media, you can have a better understanding of what they care about most. For instance, through social listening, you can find out what your customers’ greatest challenges and concerns are and then work to create more content around these topics. You can also use social listening to see what customers are saying about your brand specifically, and then use this information to make changes to improve customer satisfaction.
Social media also allows you to better understand what your customers’ online behaviors look like. For example, you might use the analytics platform on Facebook to see which types of content are most popular within your target market. You can also measure your conversions for posts and ads across channels to see which campaigns are working well and which need a little more work.
Are you not getting the results you had hoped for with your social media marketing? Let the experts at social media marketing company help you with marketing through social media. Our team knows just what it takes to build and maintain a thriving social media audience for small businesses. For more information, check out our social media management services or contact us to schedule a call to discuss our services.
Content Credit – LYFE Marketing