Why You Need Social Media Marketing and How To Do It

A 2021 marketing survey by HBR revealed that social media is an integral aspect of every business’s marketing strategy. In 2020, social media spending increased from 13.3% to 23.2%. The same report also explained that social media investments are expected to remain high in the future. HBR further shared that 60.8% of brands are now actively investing in improving online customer experiences by building customer-facing digital interfaces. Meanwhile, 56.2% of brands are planning to transform their go-to-market business models to better focus on digital opportunities.

Although most businesses are altering their strategies to incorporate digital marketing, some marketers may ask why social media marketing is necessary for a business’s success.

Why You Need Social Media Marketing

Marketing is not only about selling your products to customers. LHH claims that another key purpose of marketing is to create an identity for your brand. What makes social media marketing different from traditional marketing strategies is that it helps brands effectively create and promote the identity they want to convey to customers—and sometimes, it can be evolving and dynamic. With social media marketing, you can produce insightful content such as videos, blogs, and case studies that exhibit your brand values, which are difficult and expensive to share with customers via traditional media. It also allows you to expand the reach of your content cost-effectively.

Social media marketing also enables you to nurture relationships with existing customers to promote brand loyalty. For instance, you can initiate a social media contest where your followers can win samples of your products or services by engaging with your post or tagging other people online. Additionally, social media marketing helps you make data-driven decisions that can boost your customer engagements and sales. Since most social media platforms have performance indicators, you can use that information to gauge your campaign ROI, understand the behavior of your target audience, and further enhance your social media campaigns. With this, social media is a must-have for every business marketing strategy.

Social Media Marketing Strategies You Can Use

• Create Bite-Sized Video Clips

Since many videos are available online, you can make your videos on social media stand out by creating bite-sized video clips. Dan Casarella’s article on social media trends explained that consumers prefer short-term video content, which ranges from anywhere between 15 seconds to two-and-a-half minutes long. This allows the audience to quickly absorb the message you want to communicate in the video. It’s also better to use the native video format of your chosen social media platform. In our article on ‘5 Best Facebook Marketing Tips For Brands’, we shared how Facebook has its native video player, such as Facebook live, reels, and other video content formats. By using these native formats, you can increase your conversion and engagement rate because they integrate well with the platform’s features.

• Produce Inclusive Content

It’s also necessary to create content that showcases inclusivity so no customer will feel left out. Casarella shared in the same article that consumers want to support companies that are inclusive and take a stand on important issues. This is evident in the survey results Casarella posted revealing that 67% of US consumers believe that brands are effective at raising awareness on important social and political issues when they use social media. Because your content reflects your brand values, what you share will affect how your customers perceive your brand. Inclusive content also means that more people will welcome your brand into their feed, which can potentially become helpful in generating leads and creating sales.

• Highlight Customer Testimonials

You might think highlighting your customer might take away the spotlight from your brand and services, but prioritizing customer feedback is a great way to showcase the reliability of your brand. In a LinkedIn column by Kim Garst, she explained that it’s difficult to gain the trust of people online when they cannot physically see you or your products. This is why sharing or producing content about your customer’s feedback is important in social media marketing. According to industry surveys, 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and around 63% of customers are more likely to purchase from a site with user reviews.

Exclusively penned by Mary Jean Conan

for echannelhub.com