There are 3.96 billion social media users in the world today. That’s nearly half the world’s population. And it’s not just individuals who are flocking to these platforms — businesses are too.
In fact, 94% of marketers say they use Facebook in their marketing campaigns. It’s thus that social media has had a profound impact on marketing.
In this blog post, we explain what social media marketing is. More importantly, we’ll look at how social media has changed marketing since its advent.
What Is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing is the process of using online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to build relationships and interact with potential and current customers. By sharing engaging content, businesses can attract new followers, build trust and credibility, and increase sales.
For example, let’s say you own a bakery. You could use social media to share photos and recipes of your amazing creations, write blog posts about the history of baking or tips for decorating cupcakes or host a Twitter chat about all things baking.
By being active on social media, you’ll build a community of engaged fans who love your bakery as much as you do and reach potential customers.
Social Media’s Impact on Marketing
That social media has been a blessing to marketers is no secret. Thanks to these platforms:
Marketers Can Reach a Global Audience
In the past, businesses could only reach a local audience through print, radio, and television advertising. But with the advent of social media, businesses can now reach a global audience with the click of a button.
This has opened up a whole new world of opportunity for businesses of all sizes. Through social platforms, businesses can connect with potential customers all over the world. The potential for growth is endless.
Marketers Can Connect With Their Customers on a Personal Level
For a long time, marketers used mass media to reach their target audience with a generic message. This one-size-fits-all approach was costly and not very effective.
Today, social media has made it possible for marketers to connect with their customers on a personal level. They can interact with customers directly and build relationships with them. This interaction allows businesses to gain valuable insights into their customers’ needs and wants.
Marketers Can Connect With Their Customers in Real-Time
Marketers used to rely on surveys and customer feedback forms to understand how their customers felt about their products or services. However, this process was often slow and provided only limited insights.
With the advent of social media, marketers now have the opportunity to connect with their customers in real-time. Through social media platforms, they can quickly gather customer feedback and use it to improve their marketing strategies.
Marketers Can Target Their Audience More Accurately
Marketing campaigns in the past were often based on guesswork and gut instinct. Marketers would identify a general audience for their product or service and then use a scattergun approach to reach as many people as possible in the hope that some would be interested.
However, this approach is no longer effective in the age of social media. Thanks to social media, marketers now have access to a wealth of data that they can use to target their audience more accurately.
By carefully analyzing demographic information, psychographic information, and online behavior, marketers can now ensure that their campaigns are seen by the people who are most likely to be interested in them.
Marketers Can Track Their Results More Accurately
Marketing efforts used to be difficult to quantify, making it difficult to gauge their effectiveness. However, social media provides a wealth of data that can be used to measure the performance of marketing campaigns.
For example, Facebook Insights allows marketers to see how many people have seen or engaged with their posts. Twitter Analytics provides detailed information on the reach and engagement of tweets.
This data can be invaluable in understanding what is working and what isn’t. Marketers can then make more informed decisions about where to allocate their resources.
Your SEO Improves
Social media has a tremendous impact on SEO because it helps to build links and generate traffic.
When you post links to your website on social media, you’re essentially creating new pathways for people to find your site. It’s one of the most effective ways to increase website traffic.
The more people that visit your site, the higher your ranking will be in search engine results. Additionally, social media activity also creates “citations” for your business which are another important factor in local SEO.
Marketers Can Connect With Influencers
With the rise of social media, influencers have become some of the most popular celebrities in the world. And thanks to social media, marketers can now reach out to these influencers and ask them to promote their products or services.
This is a huge benefit for businesses, as studies have shown that influencer marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing. In fact, 93% of consumers say they trust recommendations from people they know.
This makes sense when you think about it. People are more likely to buy something if they’ve seen it recommended by someone they trust.
Marketing Has Become Incredibly Affordable
In the past, marketing campaigns could be very expensive and often out of reach for small businesses and startups.
However, social media has changed all of that. Now, businesses of all sizes can reach a huge audience without spending a lot of money. All they need is a strong social media strategy.
For example, Facebook and Twitter are both free to use. For businesses that opt to use social PPC, the cost is highly affordable. This is good news for businesses of all sizes, as it means they can invest in marketing without breaking the bank.
Now You Know How Social Media Has Changed Marketing
From building relationships to generating leads, it’s clear how social media has changed marketing. And as more platforms enter the scene and social media continues to evolve, so too will the role it plays in marketing.
Would you like professional help with your digital marketing? Get in touch with us today and learn how we can help.
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