The benefits of social media are nearly endless, but when it comes to social media advertising, social networks are a truly great channel for businesses of all kinds to advertise.
Here are the top ten reasons to use social networks for advertising.
1. Your Customers are on Social Media Platforms
Perhaps the most important reason to use social media platforms for advertising is that your potential and existing customers are on social media. What better way to reach them than to come to them directly and start promoting your business in an environment they find comfortable.
Most businesses don’t just target the elderly demographic which is known to be less than technological. Your entire target audience can be covered by your social media marketing campaign as long as you think it through, act according to plan, and create relevant content for your followers and potential followers.
2. You Will Increase Brand Recognition
Brand recognition and brand awareness are very important goals for small businesses or businesses that are only starting to kick off. Because social media marketing is known to help increase brand recognition, it can practically become a foundation for all of your advertising actions online.
Social media platforms give you a lot of reach which means you will even be able to reach users that aren’t following your account. By appearing on the explore page on Instagram, for example, more people will see your content and possibly decide to follow your business account.
3. You Can Reach Different Audience Segments
As mentioned earlier, social media platforms help you reach your entire target audience, but what is even more important is that you will also be able to reach different segments of your audience separately. This is necessary to appear in top results for certain terms and be more visible to your audience.
For example, if you sell makeup, ranking for “lipstick” on social media is great, but you won’t be able to appear in the top results. But ranking for “matte cherry red lipstick” on social media is much easier which means you will be able to reach the specific segment of your audience that prefers matte lipsticks.
4. Social Media Marketing Is Cost-Effective
Did you know that social media marketing is considered one of the most cost-effective types of digital marketing?
Moreover, you will get a very high return on your investment (ROI) which is why so many marketers, entrepreneurs, and business owners choose social network advertising.
That being said, it is even possible to manage your entire social media campaign completely free of cost if you know how. There are many helpful free tools for social media management that you can use, but you can also create your own content which will eliminate any content creation expenses you might have had.
5. It Can Help Improve Search Engine Rankings
Speaking of ranking for certain hashtags, social media advertising can also help you rank in search results for certain keywords. Though search engines don’t take into account your follower base on social media platforms, they do take into account the interactions your audience has with you on your website.
What you should do is connect your social media accounts to your website in some way. For example, you can add links to your Instagram Stories to generate more traffic to your website. On Facebook, you can post links directly. On Twitter, you can also post links. But remember that some social media networks like Instagram don’t allow you to add links.
6. Your Competitors Are on Social Media
Though the fact that your audience is on social media is important, what is just as crucial is the fact that your competitors are also on social media. This essentially means two things: your competitors realize the importance of this marketing channel and you need to be on social media in order to be able to compete with them.
Nowadays, almost every business, whether big or small, has at least one social media account. Customers get suspicious when they try to find a social media account of a certain brand and don’t see anything. Even if you don’t post very often, having a social media account will help you a lot by maintaining your authority.
7. You Can Create Better Customer Loyalty
Did you know that retaining existing customers is much cheaper than acquiring new ones? This is why most business owners aim to make their existing customers come back for more and make them returning clients. Interestingly enough, social media marketing can help you create better customer loyalty.
When people make a purchase from you, they will probably first want to try out whatever they bought and possibly come back to get it again. But what if they forget about their initial decision? This is when seeing a piece of content from you on social media or even an ad you placed on such a platform will make them go, “Oh! I wanted to buy that again!”
8. You Can Improve Brand Authority
As mentioned earlier, customers can become suspicious about the legitimacy of your brand if you don’t have at least one social media account.
Likewise, social media advertising can help you significantly improve your brand authority and make you an expert in your field that readers turn to for opinion.
This, of course, can only be achieved over time because it is a continuous process, but it is worth it in the end. By regularly posting relevant content that is also of high quality and has a lot of valuable tips, you will show that you really do know everything there is to know in your niche.
9. You Will Get New Customer Insights
Getting new customer insights such as data you can analyze is essential for developing your marketing techniques and making your business grow. It is a “natural” part of your business’s “life”. If your company doesn’t grow, it is likely to stagnate financially too.
Social media platforms are a perfect place for getting new customer insights. You can create polls for your followers to vote in or even simply ask them what they would like to see on your account or what their personal interests are. You can then analyze this information to create better content.
10. You Will Build Better Communication with Customers
Last but not least, you will build better communication with customers by being present on social media networks. 24/7 customer support can have a positive influence on your brand’s reputation, so try to keep that in mind.
Some businesses now answer customer queries on social media by replying to comments or direct messages. Of course, you will probably need several social media managers to pull this off, so it is better to consider this option later on when your business is big enough.
Final Thoughts
All in all, social media platforms can be extremely helpful when advertising your business online, so make sure to consider all the benefits listed in this article and start integrating social media marketing into your digital marketing campaign.