SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Importance in current business world
Economic progress depends on successful business activities and future endeavors. The tremendous boom in small, medium and large scale businesses across the globe necessitate more appropriate marketing methods than the traditional ones. Today’s entrepreneurs and marketers will rely mainly on social media. “Social media is about the people. Not about your business. Provide for the people and the people will provide for you” is the famous saying. Drawing people’s attention through these sites is the purpose of ‘Social Media Marketing’.
Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linked In, You Tube, Pinterest, Reddit, Forum, Slide share etc. are platforms available. Understanding the features of each and selecting the one which suits the best is the mission.
How social media marketing transforms your business is worth considering. It connects business owners with customers and people who influence them and has definite communication and branding objectives. Big and small companies must focus on strong customer relationships and more brand exposure.
Valuable, informative and interesting content, highly organized marketing strategy, relationship with online influencers, and moreover, commitment and patience are the fundamentals of social media marketing.
Creating a social media strategy requires investment. Set realistic, ethical and time-bound goals. The marketing plan should be firm and open to changes. Social media profile demands constant updating. Social media sites allow you to share your website content, images, videos, etc. and people get interested in your product. The resulting brand popularity leads to business growth.
Blogging is a powerful tool in social media marketing. Interact with customers, participation in conversations, answering queries, putting sincere comments and sharing other’s content make social media marketing more meaningful. Knowing your competitors and drawing inspiration from industry leaders are advisable. ‘Search Engine Optimization’, the process of increasing website ranking, can be attained through social media marketing.
Benefits of social media marketing
- Very easy and cost-effective way to introduce and promote a brand to potential customers.
- Helps to find new customers and obtain their feedback. Improves customer service and builds trust in them.
- Learn more about the market and your competitors. Obtain a secure market place.
- People get directed to your website which in turn increase search ranking, increases sales and revenue.
- Your content gets shared very fast.
- Interaction with similar people, maintains a good business reputation.
Social Media Marketing Industry Reports, 2015
Here are some basic facts revealed.
- About 96% of marketers participate in social media marketing, of which 19% spend more than twenty hours every week on social media.
- The use of Facebook declined from 94% to 93% and Twitter from 83 to 79%, Google+ increased 2% and Instagram rose significantly from 28% in 2014 to 36% in 2015.
- About 71% use visual assets, close behind was blogging (70%) and podcasting (10%).
- Larger businesses use YouTube more commonly.
- In future, the marketers plan to increase the use of Twitter (66%), YouTube (66%), Linked In (66%), Facebook (62%) and Google+ a 1% increase over 2014.
Failure in social media marketing reflects on your business. You miss opportunities. Define goals, stride towards them with splendid marketing techniques. Your efforts will never be in vain!