25 Oct Social Media Marketing: Are You Up to Date?
Every business nowadays is doing themselves a great disservice if they do not have an online presence. More so if you don’t have a social media marketing strategy in place! Through the process of gaining website attention and traffic through social media sites, your content will (hopefully) attract attention and encourage viewers to share with others on the social networks that they use. This creates a web through which your content will spread, making this a powerful and effective marketing tool that can increase both website traffic and sales.
Many may think that social media is just a passing marketing interest that is not profitable. However, the data on the subject states otherwise. According to Hubspot, in 2014 92% of marketers stated that social media marketing was important for their business and out of this number, 80% saw an increase in traffic due to their efforts. Along with the rise of smartphones, people are using the web even on the go; data from Search Engine Watch states that 50% of all mobile searches are performed in hopes of finding local results, and out of those searches, 61% result in a purchase. This means if you are a business that is open to the public, you are losing out on potential customers/clients if you do not have a strong online presence. Another study published by Convince&Convert revealed that 53% of Americans who follow a brand on social media are more loyal to the brand. All in all, there is most certainly a connection between having an effective social media marketing campaign and your business’ ability to increase profit.
When executed properly, social media marketing can be incredibly effective. If you are still not sold on using social media, check out the top reasons why your business should implement a social media marketing strategy:
Your competition is doing it
Don’t let your competitors leave you in the dust, and fall behind by not having an account on social media sites. According to Statista, Facebook is the market leader with over 1 billion registered accounts. While on Twitter, there are over 316 million monthly active accounts. Therefore, more than likely, your competition has an account on these sites and are using it to their advantage. Don’t let this ability to connect with your customer, both current and new, to slip through your fingers. Stay with the times, and get on board! In addition, having a strong online presence makes your company look more legitimate because who isn’t online nowadays?
It puts you face-to-face with your target audience
Having an online presence and having a presence on social media allows you to be up close and personal with your audience. It allows customers to interact with a business, and vis-versa; it also gives valuable insight into your customers or clients’ lives that would be difficult to get otherwise. This can be a powerful tool when it comes time to review, as it allows for an inside look on if you should be updating or adjusting your marketing strategy at all.
It can be a great CRM tool
By being available on the internet and connected on social media, you will have the ability to respond to any current or potential problems immediately. Customers are more likely to hear what you have to say, and it will allow for better two-way communication. Knowing right away when there are issues will allow you to take the steps to resolve them right away, which can help create a stronger and more trusting business to customer relationship.
More customers = more sales
Having a presence across social media accounts will help you increase brand awareness, find customers, and will even help potential customers find out about your business. In addition, when you stay in front of and involved with your audience by using social media marketing, they will be more likely to buy from you or request your services. Another plus, advertising your products, service, or even discounts through social media is a cheap and efficient way to get your name out there!