If you're not using social media marketing as a marketing tool, you're missing out on a lot of potential customers.
According to Datareportal, 26 million South Africans use social media, that's 43% of the total population. And it's not just South Africa, as 4.8 billion people worldwide also use social media, which is 60% of the global population. With such a large audience base, it is clear that the importance of social media marketing and social media training cannot be thrown out the window.
Join us for a deep dive into the importance of social media marketing and all the wonders it can bring to your business!
What Is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing is the process of using different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok to promote your products or services.
You can promote your products or services in different ways, depending on your needs and preferences. You can either post about your products or services on your social media accounts, collaborate with influencers to reach a wider audience, or use paid advertisements to target specific demographics.
To give you an idea of how paid advertisement looks, open up your mobile phone and log into any of your social media accounts. Scroll a bit - but don't get too distracted - and you'll most likely see an ad from a certain brand. The ad will look different than the other content on your feed. On Facebook, for example, you'll see the words "sponsored" with a small earth ball next to it under the title of the ad.
That's social media marketing in action.
Why Is Social Media Marketing Important?
Check it out! Here are eight solid reasons why social media marketing is important for your business.
Reaches A Wider Targeted Audience
As mentioned earlier, billions of people around the world use social media platforms daily. This means that your business has the potential to reach a wide audience if you leverage these platforms for marketing.
But what makes it even more powerful is that you can target a specific audience based on their age, location, interests, and behaviour.
For example, if you're selling skincare products, you can target women aged 25-35 who live in urban areas and have shown an interest in beauty and wellness—this targeted approach results in a more effective and efficient marketing strategy.
It’s Cost-Effective
Traditional advertising methods, such as TV commercials or billboards, can cost you a lot of money per month. SAfacts actually wrote an article about how much it will cost to advertise on a billboard in South Africa. They found that billboards cost around R20 000 per month to around R70 000 a month.
With social media marketing, you expect to pay a fraction of those costs. Social media platforms are generally free to use, and even if you decide to run your own ads, the cost will be significantly less compared to traditional advertising methods.
Just remember that if you want to run ads on social media, you should know what you're doing; otherwise, you could end up wasting money with no results. It would be best to use professional social media marketing services to ensure you get the best ROI (return on investment).
Builds Brand Awareness
As a startup or small business, brand awareness is one of the most important things you need to focus on. For brand awareness to truly be effective, you need to be where your target audience is.
And where are they? Well, on social media, of course.
On social media, you can publish relevant and interesting content, engage with a community, and showcase your brand's personality. This helps to humanise your brand and make it more relatable to potential customers.
Increases Website Traffic
Social media marketing doesn't just benefit the presence of your brand on social media platforms; it also has an impact on your website traffic.
The best practice to follow when posting content on social media is to link back to your website. This not only helps drive traffic directly from the social media platforms but also helps with SEO (search engine optimisation). If you read our blog post about Off-page SEO, you'll have a better understanding of how social media goes hand-in-hand with SEO.
So, how does a link on social media help with increased web traffic? Well, picture this - you posted a valuable news article on your social media platform with a website link, and it gets shared by many people. Some of their followers see the post, click on your website link, and voila - you've got new visitors to your site!
Facilitates Customer Service
With social media marketing, you have a direct line of communication with your customers and visa-versa. If a customer has a question or concern, they can easily reach out to you through social media and expect a timely response. This helps to build trust with your customers and shows that you value their feedback and opinions.
On Instagram, for example, customers can DM (direct message) you with their inquiries or can even leave comments on your posts to which you can react and respond.
Make sure to monitor these channels regularly and respond promptly to maintain a good relationship with your customers. If you take too long to respond or ignore their messages, it can lead to a negative perception of your brand and potentially result in lost customers.
Provides Competitor Insights
Social media is not just a platform to promote your brand; it also serves as a goldmine for competitor insights.
Follow your competitors' social media accounts. On their accounts, you can see what type of content they are posting, how their audience engages with it, and even get a glimpse into their marketing strategies.
This information can be valuable in understanding the market and identifying potential areas for improvement in your own marketing strategy.
Important note: Do NOT be a copycat and simply replicate what your competitors are doing. Use this information to draw inspiration and come up with your own ideas!
Builds Customer Loyalty
There is no better feeling than when a customer becomes a loyal fan of your brand. Not only do they keep coming back to purchase your products or services, but they also become advocates for your brand and spread the word to their family and friends.
Social media marketing provides the perfect opportunity to foster and maintain that loyalty.
Through consistent and engaging content, you can keep your customers interested and invested in your brand. This can be through behind-the-scenes looks, exclusive promotions or sneak peeks at upcoming products or services.
Enables You To Tell Your Story
Every business has a story. Whether it's the journey of how you started, a unique aspect of your products or services, or a mission that drives your brand - there is always a story to tell.
Social media marketing allows you to share your story with your audience in an authentic and engaging way. Through visual content, such as photos and videos, you can show rather than tell your audience what makes your brand special.
If you want to see how our story looks, have a look at all of our online platforms. Starbright's story is one of passion, creativity and dedication to crafting amazing brands for all of our customers!
While there are many more reasons behind the importance of social media marketing, these eight stand out and are enough to convince any business owner to invest in a strong social media presence.
Experience The Importance Of Social Media Marketing!
If you want to experience the true importance of social media marketing, it's time to get started on creating a strong online presence for your brand.
Don't know where to start but ready to take the leap?
Starbright's social media marketing services in Pretoria include strategy, content creation, management and advertising. Let us help you tell your story and connect with your audience on a whole new level!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the three benefits of social media marketing for businesses?
Three important benefits of social media marketing for businesses are increased brand awareness, improved customer engagement and higher website traffic.
2. What is the role of visual content in social media marketing?
Visual content is crucial in social media marketing. It allows brands to showcase their products/services and tell their story in a more engaging way to their audience.
3. What is the most important factor in social media marketing?
CONTENT! Quality content is key in social media marketing as it attracts and engages the audience, ultimately leading to conversions and brand loyalty.
4. How often should a business post on social media?
The frequency of posting on social media varies depending on the platform and target audience, but generally, one post weekly is a good start.