Social media is perhaps the most powerful tool in your brand’s metaphorical tool box. Honing in on this vital (and free) resource is instrumental in improving your brand’s outreach, engagement, marketability, and much more. Below we’ve created a list of the top ten reasons why social media is a powerful marketing tool and how it can help positively impact your business.
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Brand Awareness and Loyalty
Nowadays it seems that virtually everyone is connected through some form of social media. By simply having an online presence, your brand will be able to reach a much larger, more targeted audience. Other social media users will be able to discover and interact with your brand, allowing for potential customers and loyal followers.
Take Nike (@Nike) for instance. Their main Instagram currently has 117 million followers. Nike has maintained their brand awareness by creating multiple Instagram accounts the specific niches they sell to. They have an account for sportswear (@nikesportwear), womens clothing and shoes (@nikewomen), and an account specifically for basketball attire (@nikebasketball).
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Targeted Advertising
In no way is targeted advertising a new concept. However, in recent years, social media has allowed this marketing strategy to evolve into a more efficient and effective way of getting your content seen by the right audience. Through social media data, you can now target your advertisements based on location, personal demographics, consumer behavior, interests, and language. This more narrow approach to advertising allows brands to find consumers who are more likely to buy their products.
For example, have you ever looked up a product, say a new couch from West Elm (@westelm), then later scrolled through your Instagram feed? You’ve probably noticed that suddenly you’re seeing sponsored posts from the company with direct links to their website. That’s an example of good targeted advertising.
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Relationship Building
Never before have brands been able to interact with their consumers on such a personal level. Successful brand accounts engage with their audiences, listen to their suggestions, and respond to their comments and concerns. This not only humanizes the brands, but allows for a stronger connection with consumers. Unlike traditional advertising, this type of relationship building creates a direct line between business and consumer.
In order to build relationships with consumers, successful brands also post a variety of content, including community outreach and charitable work. For example, on Target’s Instagram (@target) they post photos not only of their products, but their outreach programs as well. By humanizing their brand, Target is able to establish connections with users and communities alike.
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Gain Insights
Social media platforms are rich with important data and information on your customer base.
Most major websites (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.) can provide you with the analytics of who is visiting your page, for how long, and from where. These insights can even tell you the average age of visitors and their gender.
This is especially useful for smaller businesses who are trying to find their niche. Take WearMe Pro Eyewear (@wearme_pro) for instance. Their Instagram is predominantly targeted towards women consumers. They do sell mens sunglasses, however it’s not their biggest market. Having access to their social media insights is key when it comes to creating a marketing strategy.
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Listen to Consumers
Social media allows you to see firsthand, consumers thoughts, experiences, and impressions of your brand. By being conscious of what others are saying on social media about your brand (or it’s competition) you’ll stay one step ahead of the game when it comes to generating content and products. This unique insight is what sets social media apart from traditional media and allows for a more curated experience.
Take for example Elon Musk, CEO of car manufacturing company Tesla. Elon Musk is an avid Twitter user (you can find him @elonmusk). In 2017 a user tweeted at him, suggesting that the company reprogram the Tesla to adjust the steering wheel while in park. Elon Musk liked the idea so much that he responded to the user and actually implemented his suggestion.
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Content Sourcing
So you’ve established an audience, but are running short of content ideas. Sometimes the best solution is the easiest. Simply ask your following what they would like to see in your posts. Instagram, for instance, has a survey feature where you can directly ask your audience to respond or vote on a topic. This immediate feedback is a valuable tool for creating impactful content for your brand.
Another way to content source is by creating a hashtag for users to interact with. For instance, makeup company Ulta Beauty (@ultabeauty) encourages followers to tag them in their pictures and use the hashtag #ultabeauty. Ulta will then repost the pictures they find on the hashtag to their mainfeed.
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Connect with Influencers
Similar to celebrity endorsements, teaming up with an influencer can help establish your brand and add credibility to your product. Choose an influencer who you feel is in line with your aesthetic and brand morals. They will share your product with their larger audience, which will gain you more followers/customers.
Fashion brand ASOS (@asos) uses a network of influencers to model their clothing. They then post those influencers to their social media with links to the clothing/accessories.
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Direct Customer Service
It’s widely accepted that people appreciate good customer service. Social media has allowed users to bypass long wait times on standard customer service calls and get right to the source. A brand’s social media should be there to answer questions and concerns by responding to commenters in real time. This type of communication is not only efficient, but helps establish brand loyalty. It also allows your business to address negative feedback swiftly and effectively.
Fitness fashion brand Fabletics (@fabletics) has a FAQ tab on their Instagram page where they answer questions and concerns regarding their products. They also respond to comments on their page by directing users to message them if they have any issues with their orders.
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Sharing Your Content
Social media makes it incredibly easy to share your content with thousands of followers worldwide with the click of a button. And, more importantly, when you create a post that is on-brand and aesthetically pleasing, others will share it too! This open natured interaction allows you to update your audience on important developments, debut new products, and interact with your followers instantaneously.
Starbucks’ Instagram account (@starbucks) is a great example of how a business can benefit from sharing their content with their followers. When Starbucks releases a new drink, they post to their Instagram. In the comments section they answer questions pertaining to it’s nutritional value, ingredients, availability, and more. This allows for an awesome and open dialogue between business and consumer.
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Boosts SEO
As your social media gains traction, more and more people will like, share, and repost your content. These interactions will help boost your engagement/popularity and will eventually put you in the recommended category on your respective social media site. This will allow more people to discover your brand, gaining you new followers and new customers.
For example, if you were to go on Adidas’ Instagram (@adidas) and click the “suggested for you” tab, other brands that are similar to Adidas will pop up. The goal is to have your Instagram be one of the suggested accounts.
