A strong social media presence is crucial to the online visibility of businesses, these days. When so many people spend so much of their time online, and specifically on social media platforms, it’s important for businesses to join the virtual conversation. Here are a few specific ways social media marketing helps businesses.

Social Media Is Affordable

Considering the amount of exposure businesses can get on social media platforms, the ROI is very good. Even when you factor in the cost of paid advertising--via Facebook, for example--the cost of sponsored ads is ridiculously low.  Much of the heavy lifting involved in FB algorithms, in fact, comes from sharing and commenting on posts. Therefore, it pays for social media managers to boost engagement by strategic sharing and commenting on paid posts and shared blog content, for example.  Therefore, it pays to try to generate interest by strategic sharing among local community interest groups and neighborhood associations, for example, so as to reach various potential target audience groups. Paid video ads and livestream IGTV on Instagram are gaining popularity, as well, and proving to be an excellent way to reach younger audiences.

Become Familiar to Your Target Audience

One great aspect of social media marketing is that it connects you to products and services that it thinks you may appreciate. Therefore, it’s likely you’ll be able to connect with likely potential future customers via a platform like Facebook, because its marketing algorithms predict future behavior fairly accurately, much of the time. Once you’re on the proverbial radar of your target audience, it’s easy to communicate periodically with them via periodic social media posts, events, polls, quizzes, and contests. For example, one popular type of contest on Instagram is the caption contest, where companies utilize hashtags. tag their friends, and share your photo for a chance to win a prize giveaway through your page.  Here are more ideas for Instagram contests, as well.  The ideal result of all this social media-based interaction is staying at the forefront of customers’ minds, which can form the basis for better brand recognition. Once you become familiar on a first name basis with potential customers, you increase the chances of people tapping into your products and services, in the future.

Demonstrate Trustworthiness

One of the strong indicators of a successful website is its ability to deliver authoritative content to the user, so a strong social media presence can help provide companies with ample opportunities to demonstrate their trustworthiness to current and potential customers. Providing your page fans access to valuable information will help solidify your brand’s reputation as a trustworthy resource known for its authoritative content.  Another way to establish credibility in your brand is to be consistent with your weekly posting schedule. For example, posting every morning at 9 a.m., so that your followers become used to seeing regular updates from your page. And find a subject that you know a lot about (say, sustainable outdoor gear source materials for those concerned about the environment and looking for brands trying to repurpose and recycle materials, rather than unnecessarily wasting natural resources for profit.

Don’t Be Shy

Try to find ways to encourage page followers to be social and engage with your company’s social media posts. For example, you could try asking page fans if they want to post a photo of them with one of your brand’s products out in the real world, accompanied by a specific hashtag.  Or post a question about a specific product or service your brand provides, as well as encouragement for followers to discuss amongst themselves. If your team is able to thoughtfully and empathically respond to customer feedback, you might find good opportunities to demonstrate close listening and helpful customer service. Customers may be more likely to trust your brand if they feel free to interact with you via social media.

Storytelling Opportunities

Every social media post provides an opportunity to tell a story that better illustrates your company’s mission and brand image. If you can bring your post to life with an accompanying photo or video, that’s even better! If customers can put a face to a name, they’re more likely to feel personally connected to your brand since they’ll be more easily able to identify with and relate to the personal story being told.  Even better, if you can encourage page followers to share their own stories, they’re more likely to relate to your brand’s message and purpose. And customer interaction via social media is likely to gain the attention of those posters’ friends and family, as well, potentially increasing your page’s number of followers, as well.  Would you like Digital Division to help tell your story? Contact us if you are in search of comprehensive social media management, content marketing, and SEO services. We’re happy to help!