Social media is a method to increase brand awareness and customer engagement because 90% of buyers use it to keep up with relevant trends. It is easily accessible, free, and a great marketing channel for businesses looking to expand their reach. Marketers who can get a large audience to engage with their promotional content end up building strong social connections, making it easier for them to achieve their advertising goals. Keep reading to discover what social media marketing does for businesses and how it is an applicable strategy for success.
What Social Media Marketing Does for Business
It Drives Traffic
Sales and investment returns are only possible when companies can create traffic and accomplish lead generation. It is difficult to attract buyer interest in a volatile economy with so many competing offers saturating single markets, so much so that 61% of marketers reveal that lead generation and producing traffic is one of the hardest parts of their job.
When looking to generate demand, leads, and conversions, social media is a powerful tool to attract customer attention toward the brand. Marketers post product or service-related content on platforms such as blogs, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to engage with the offerings and increase traffic to the brand’s website. Once consumer interest sparks, there’s a high chance of visitors turning into loyal customers in time.
It Increases Revenue
Many consumers use online channels to shop around for their next purchase, making social media a critical method for product discovery. Leveraging social media enables brands to drive pipeline growth and increase revenue. Social media marketing enables fast and hyper-targeted access to a desired demographic at a fraction of the cost and time compared to conventional advertising, which attracts leads and enhances ROI over time.
It Alleviates Long Sales Cycles
Factors that lead to long sales cycles in the B2B context include the complexities of products and services, the involvement of multiple decision-makers, and the extensive nature of buyer research. With this in mind, businesses adopt social media marketing to alleviate these difficulties and align their key strategies with a customer-informed approach.
It Builds Brand Familiarity
Media profile features, including Instagram and Facebook shops, direct messaging, appointment booking tabs, and call-to-action buttons, help brands build rapport with potential buyers. People are able to interact with the offerings, ask questions, and see reviews, which makes them more comfortable with their purchase and creates a level of trust with the company. Additionally, the visual aspect of these platforms enables businesses to establish their vision and identity across channels, thereby reaching a vast target pool and improving product awareness.
Using social functions as a means to connect with a range of people positions brands in such a way that they can gain better results with various campaigns. For example, B2B companies like Visa and Google stand out for their high level of brand familiarity. People see the multicolored “G” icon on their screens and immediately associate it with Google, a leading and widely trusted brand.
Similarly, Visa is associated with payment networks that allow businesses to easily process customer transactions. Social media provides many other businesses with a platform to strengthen their image by curating impressive content that will pique the interest of potential buyers as they scroll through platforms.
With brand familiarity comes the possibility of long-term relationships. A Sprout Pulse survey reveals that 78% of buyers consider a brand’s social media presence to significantly influence whether they believe its offerings. Alternatively, social platforms facilitate direct and indirect communication with followers, which enables businesses to understand their audience better. Each channel is useful for gathering information, networking, receiving feedback, and engaging directly with interested parties, increasing the chances of purchase behaviors.
Applicable Social Media Marketing Suggestions
Diversify Content
Strategically, businesses should market to an intended audience across multiple media channels for higher influence. By diversifying content, marketers create an environment where valued customers can easily access information about the brand and receive support when needed.
Positing regularly involves capitalizing on the multiple formats social media offers, such as picture-sharing, stories, online stores, and livestreaming, to connect with audiences. Using features like polls, announcements, quick tips, and industry news can cement a brand’s position as a leader in the minds of its target consumers.
Engage and Be Consistent
Consistency in social media marketing enables enterprises to project their offerings across platforms in a way that customers can trust. Marketers can use the core brand identity as a voice that reaches all channels to portray trustworthiness and reliability to potential buyers.
It is beneficial for a business to treat media platforms like communities. By reposting content, commenting on posts, and responding to consumers, businesses can facilitate real-time discussions and participation, increasing brand awareness.
Leverage Content Creation Platforms
Using multiple content creation platforms can differentiate products from competitor offerings, which enhances ROI and engagement. For example, marketers can use Freepik and Canva to create attractive designs to accompany their social media posts. Leveraging these features allows them to project their identity to users while maintaining their brand voice and remaining consistent.
Track Data
Any effective marketing strategy requires evaluation to track progress and achieve business success. Companies can use Google Analytics to attach tags to social media campaigns and track their performance. This way, managers can determine the marketing techniques that work and those that need improvement. Tracking data enables companies to properly monitor their platforms to gain more insight into the market and its developing trends.
Company Use Cases
Thought Leadership Content at IBM
IBM uses content such as white papers and expert reports to demonstrate its thought leadership in innovation. Producing this content is a strategy that enables the company to build trust and credibility with its audience, reinforcing its position as a tech leader within the industry.
Audience Engagement at Slack
As a cloud-based communication platform for business, Slack incorporated effective social media marketing by using online channels like Instagram to share educational and inspirational posts. This approach helped consumers familiarize themselves with the platform, which personalized their experience, enabling Slack to establish strong support around its product.
Conclusion
By using social media marketing, B2B can learn more about their target prospects. Having information about the market and its demands helps to drive leads, connect, and manage content efficiently. Businesses gain an advantage over competitors that do not leverage marketing across platforms.
Driving the charge to diversify content, promote conversation, and tailor offerings to consumer needs ensures that organizations develop a cohesive and effective marketing strategy. They also use their content to build credibility through high-quality posts. By learning from use cases, enterprises can use social media to implement strategies that align with their core goals.
