It’s no longer a trend. It’s a necessity – and, arguably, one of the best ways to reach your target audience and get measurable results.

Yet, there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between those who see the importance of social media marketing and those still on the fence about it.

If the latter sounds like you, we suggest you keep on reading.

The Importance Of Social Media Marketing: Benefits Businesses Should Keep In Mind

Most marketers would agree that it offers an abundance of opportunities to businesses and consumers alike. But shockingly enough, not all companies seem to be aware of the importance of social media marketing:

A portion of small businesses chooses not to use social media networks as marketing channels.

And in 2021, that’s a rather alarming fact. If you’re in the latter group, allow us to change – or, at least, try to change – your mind with a few notable benefits outlined below.

#1 Using Social Media To Grow Brand Awareness

You could be offering top-of-the-line products and services – but if your target audience isn’t even aware that your business exists, where does that leave you? That’s right, in the dust.

And once you’re out there, you still have to keep reminding your target audience that your brand exists. That’s probably the number one reason to use social media marketing:

You get to tell your brand’s story, build relationships with your audience, plant a positive image in their minds, keep them updated, identify trends through social listening, generate conversations around your brand; the list goes on.

In short, social media allows you to grab people’s attention and increase visibility. And with improved brand awareness comes a loyal customer base. Learn how to create a marketing strategy that will help you achieve that in four essential steps here.

#2 Using Social Media To Increase Traffic

Another reason to use social media as part of your marketing strategy is to give your website traffic a little boost. Each time you share your content on social media, there’s an opportunity to bring new visitors to your website. Since that traffic is typically targeted, once they’re there, these new leads may convert to customers, too.

As much effort as you’re putting into SEO – we’ll talk about how social can help with that, too – it’s still unlikely that all your site traffic will come from search engines alone.

So, it’s worth noting that sharing content on social media channels will allow for more diverse traffic streams.

#3 Using Social Media To Promote Products

Being active on social media networks is an excellent opportunity for businesses to market and promote their products and services. And that, in turn, helps you boost your organic reach, build credibility, and attract better-qualified leads.

You can share blog posts with valuable information about the product or service, photos of people enjoying them, videos illustrating how they work, promo codes, polls asking users which one they prefer; you get the idea.

To make the most of this tactic in terms of marketing success, remember to keep things creative, engaging, and original. Here’s how Pastilla helped promote Glendale Tech Week through a comprehensive marketing strategy that included paid social, organic social, digital ads, press releases, and OOH.

#4 Using Social Media To Improve Rankings

You’re probably already pouring a lot of effort into SEO (Search Engine Optimization). And yes, a killer content strategy and solid SEO practices are generally most important, but:

Did you know that search engines pay attention to your social media presence, too – and use it as a factor in their rankings, for that matter? Search engine crawlers know how to recognize pages that are just floating there and those that are consistently earning new traffic. And it’s the latter that will climb the SERP ladder faster.

Plus, your social media profiles pop up high in the SERPs when people search for you or your company, which, in itself, is a great way to build an online presence for your business.

#5 Using Social Media To Remain Competitive

Social media platforms currently have roughly 4.33 billion users worldwide. You better believe that people have come to expect brands will be there, too.

And if your business doesn’t participate, your competition certainly will. If you hope to stay competitive in the digital marketplace, building a social media presence should be one of your top priorities. There’s a chance your competition is already there, as we speak – and so is your target audience.

Plus, social media profiles are public. You’ll see what your competitors are doing, which strategies they’re implementing, and how they’re engaging with their audience – all of which can help improve your marketing strategy.

7 Stats That Prove The Importance Of Social Media Marketing

Digital transformation is in full swing.

The events of 2020 – ad spend cuts, lockdowns, canceled events, and feelings of uncertainty – only accelerated the process, changing the way businesses and consumers view, value, and use social media. And no, that’s not just empty talk. We’ve got the stats to prove it.

Check out the numbers that prove how crucial social media marketing is for any business, no matter how big or small:

• Social media ad spending in the US is expected to reach nearly 49 billion USD in 2021, estimated growth of 21.3%.
• Social media has become a place for discovery, with 55% of consumers – mainly Gen Z and Millennials – likely to use social media to learn about brands or discover companies.
• Roughly 68% of US adults – that’s two-thirds of the adult population – report having a Facebook account.
• The use of social media to discover products and services went up by 43% compared to a year ago.
• Positive experiences with a business or brand on social media might drive purchases, as reported by up to 78% of consumers.
• A staggering 90% of Instagram users follow at least one brand or business on this social media platform.
• Up to 58% of Instagram users say they’ll become more interested in a brand after seeing it in IG Stories.

Time To Get Social

If you haven’t already, it’s time to examine how your business is utilizing social media to drive growth, traffic, brand awareness, and engagement.

The sooner you start embracing social media – and its critical role in marketing and growth – the farther the social current will take you. And those that fail to fully understand the importance of social media marketing risk being left behind.

So, if you’re wondering when’s the right time for your business to start focusing on social media as a marketing channel, the answer is: Now.

Let us know what we can do to help make social media a focus area of your marketing strategy in 2021!