7 Things You Should Know About Social Media Marketing

Social media has changed the world of marketing and if you are not utilizing it for your business then you are missing out on a great resource to generate leads, tell your brand’s story and reach hundreds of thousands of customers around the world.

Social media marketing is an excellent way to connect with potential customers and clients. But don’t expect people to pay attention to you just because you’ve got a Twitter account of Facebook profile. People are only going to pay attention to you if you provide something of value to them such as tips, advice or information that they can’t get from elsewhere.

Here’s why social media marketing is perfect strategy to get your business on top:

1. Showcase your Brand

With millions of users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other networks, there are plenty of people to reach. And several of these users have never heard of your brand. Through sharing relevant content, responding to industry-related questions and being a go-to resource, you can use social media as a solid platform for becoming an authority.

2. Develop a Loyal Community

In a world where consumers are constantly bombarded with ads, content and marketing messages, it’s easy for your brand to get put on the back burner. With social media, you’re able to stay in front of your audience, even when they aren’t in buying mode.

3. Improve Customer Service

The beauty of social media is it provides a two-way form of communication. Instead of just shouting your message to your audience, you can communicate back and forth between each other. People will talk about your brand on social media regardless of whether you’re active on the platform. It’s in your best interest to be proactive by using social media monitoring tools to see what’s being said. If you’re not engaging with your customers, you run the risk of losing them. According to a report from Gartner, churn can increase by up to 15% if you fail to respond to customers on social media.

4. Increase Digital Exposure

According to data from Shareaholic, social media drives 31% of website traffic. Considering the amount of content that passes through sites like Twitter and Facebook, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Your brand can capitalize on this by occasionally sharing helpful and relevant content from your website.

5. Boost Traffic and SEO Rating

Building an audience of loyal customers and advocates is one of the best ways to grow your brand long-term. Every new customer or fan you gain is one more person that could potentially share your content or products with a friend.

That “viral” nature of social media we mentioned earlier is one benefits that’s difficult to get on other marketing channels. Take advantage by focusing on sharing helpful and entertaining content that keeps people coming back for more

6.Expand Sales & Audience

Social media has proven to be a very effective tool for sales team. In fact, 64% of sales professionals reported closing at least one deal in 2014 as a direct result of using social media.

B2B companies can utilize networks like LinkedIn to reach out to decision makers directly and get the conversation started. B2C companies can use Twitter to answer questions from people who are on the cusp of buying from you and just need a slight nudge to get them to convert. Instead of forcing people to call and sit on hold for 30 minutes or more, consumers have grown accustom to heading to social media when they need a quicker response.

7. Cut Marketing Costs

If your brand is looking for ways to cut marketing costs, or if you’re just on a tighter budget, social media is a great option.