Social media marketing has become the preferred method of marketing for many companies. If you don’t know what social media marketing is, it’s essentially when you use social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and other community sites (Stumbleupon, Pinterest) to market your product or service. For example, a diet soda company might run a sweepstakes on the Coca Cola Facebook page to promote their product.
You may think that practicing social media marketing is just for start-ups, but many established companies have also started making use of it. In fact, according to Grambulk , 69% of Fortune 500 companies are using it in some capacity! So, if you’re a small business owner who’s wondering why social media marketing is essential in your business plan, here are 8 reasons why companies choose to practice it.
1 . Easier than “traditional” marketing Social media marketing requires less time and money than traditional marketing methods like billboards or commercials. Also, because more people are online than ever before (a billion on Facebook alone), it’s an efficient way of reaching potential customers around the world while they’re already on their computers. Best of all , it doesn’t require having some sort of degree in graphic design — just ask for help from someone with that expertise!
2 . More engagement This ties into reason #1. People prefer social media sites to other forms of advertising because they allow for more interaction. Instead of being sold on something, users are able to have a dialogue with the brand they’re supporting.
3 . You can monitor your campaign Social media campaigns are tracked very easily. This means that you’ll know which posts are getting the most “likes” or retweets. If one post doesn’t get many clicks, you can use this information to revamp your marketing strategy for next time — maybe create a new ad or write up a different article about your company. On Facebook , for example, you can even see how people are responding to specific photos!
4 . It’s inexpensive/free Most social media sites (Facebook, Twitter) allow companies to build profiles at no cost. The only expenses that some companies might incur are for advertising and customizing the look of their pages.
5 . Viral factors Social media sites also have built in viral features that can exponentially increase your exposure. For example, when you post a photo on Facebook, it can be shared by multiple users to all of their friends. This is very helpful if you’re promoting something like a contest where users need to spread the word about it (and get more entries) in order to win.
6 . Targeted ads If you decide to go with paid advertisements instead of using social media sites for free , they’ll only go out to people who match certain criteria (age group, geographic location). They’ll also likely be shown at specific times (after work hours or during prime time) to make sure that it’s seen by a wide range of people.
7 . Gives you access to influencers This ties into reason #6. Paid ads can sometimes get in front of “key players” who have large followings on social media sites and who might not see your site otherwise. Journalists, celebrities, and other big names might retweet or link back to certain posts if they think they’re interesting enough!
8 . Ability to measure results One final benefit of social media marketing is the analytics reports that come with it. You can easily see how many clicks or views each item gets and what kind of demographic is viewing them (age group, gender). Once again, this information can be used tailor future campaigns for maximum impact.
That’s just a short list of the many benefits that social media marketing offers businesses. It might sound scary to those who aren’t used to it yet, but as you can see from the reasons above, there are tremendous advantages that have been well worth the effort for companies worldwide! I hope that this has been helpful and informative for those who were wondering why they should consider social media marketing as a part of their overall business strategy.
How to make a social media company profile?
The process of creating a social media company profile is simple and only takes a few minutes. They’re free to create, so you won’t have to pay anything or give out your credit card information in order to get started. Here’s what you do:
1 . Go to one of the main sites and sign up for an account.
2 . Decide what kind of profile you need – personal or business. You can go with whichever option you want, but the most important thing is that you’re honest when filling out your demographics (age, gender, location).
3 . Customize your page with photos and links to other sites.
Other Benefits Of Having More Social Media Following
- It increases your online presence.
- You can share your posts to more people without having to send them individual messages via different social media platforms individually (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc).
- When you have a larger following it makes you look popular and influential which will help with increasing sales of any products or services you offer.
- When you engage with your new followers on a regular basis it will help to build good relationships with them and they will be more likely to turn into customers if/when they need the services or products you sell.
- You might attract the attention of people who are looking for someone with similar interests as you which could lead to new collaborations or even friendships.
- You can use your social media following to help you with your business by sending out messages for products/services you might need (IT services, photography, models etc).
- Having a larger following on social media will help you feel more connected and happier knowing that there are lots of people interested in your content and the things you do.