10 Reasons Social Media is an Effective Marketing Tool

Entrepreneurs tend to have strong feelings about social media marketing. Some believe it to be a fad, or a temporary interest. Some find the learning curve off-putting, and fail to see the advantages it offers.

Earlier this year, 92% of marketers said social media marketing was important, according to Hubspot. 80% confirmed that it increased website traffic. Social Media Examiner reported 97% of marketers use social media as a tool, but 85% were not clear on the best ways to use it. Social media marketing can increase sales, but marketers need to understand the tools in order to use them properly.

Here are ten ways social media marketing gives businesses a boost:

1. Increases brand recognition by using social media networks to syndicate your content. You want users to become familiar with your brand, and you can accomplish this by being accessible. Create a presence on social media networks so people see and hear about you more.
2. Gets more brand loyalty by connecting with your social media audience. A report by Convince&Convert showed that 53% of people in the U.S following brands are more loyal to those brands.
3. Capitalizes on opportunities to convert customers. As you gain followers, you can interact with more customers. Make sure your content spurs a reaction. Create opportunities for customers to visit your website and eventually convert.
4. Higher conversion rates. The social media lead-to-close rate is 100% higher than outbound marketing, and this is likely due to the human element. Spend time building your audience because credibility increases along with number of followers.
5. Increases your brand authority. Interact with customers and pay attention when they mention your name, especially when they are major influencers on the platform.
6. Inbound traffic increases as you create more paths to your website. You don’t have to depend on people using search keywords that lead to you. Content on your social media profiles create opportunities to reach new customers.
7. Lower Marketing Costs. Six hours per week resulted in more traffic for 84% of marketers, according to Hubspot. Spending a little over one hour per day on content can yield great results. Social media platforms also allow flexibility in advertising, so you can start small and learn as you go.
8. Improves search engine rankings. Updating your blog, using tags, and adding meta descriptions is not enough. Social media activity could increase your relevance and present you as credible.
9. Creates a richer experience. Your interaction on social media is an indicator of your customer service skills. When people give brand feedback, you are there to respond as needed. When you respond to customers, they know you care.
10. Improves customer insights. Social listening allows you to observe the behavior of your customers on social media. Doing this can give you insight into their interests, and you can give them what they want. Produce content to match their needs, and closely monitor conversions to see what works best.

These are just some of the benefits of social media marketing. Treat social media marketing as a long term strategy as it takes time to benefit from it. There is a relatively small financial risk as you can set your own budget, so there is little to lose, and everything to gain.