How Social Media Changed Marketing
There’s no denying that social media is an everyday part of our lives, and has since become an essential tool for businesses all over the world. While some might argue that social media prevents us from seeing the real world in many ways, the benefits that come with effectively utilizing platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are too much to ignore.
For marketers out there like myself, we may have benefited the most from social media, with the hundreds of different ways businesses can advertise themselves. For example, both Facebook and Twitter allow you to run advertisements in which you can choose your target audience, the duration you’d like your ad to run, where in the world you want to be seen, and so much more. On Pinterest, you can promote pins to be seen by a large group of people regardless of the topic they’ve searched for. However, marketing through social media is limited merely to ads.
As all businesses know, branding and engaging with your customers is crucial for success. Obtaining feedback and actually interacting with your target audience can make the difference between a successful company and a failed one. With social media, doing all of these is made significantly easier. Companies are able to respond to their customers within seconds of a request or complaint should that be posted on their Facebook walls, tweeted at them, or commented on a post. A business that shows care in its consumers’ thoughts and opinions is one that is destined for a successful future.
Another thing social media has eased the burden of is customer insights. Through precise data analytics provided by most social media platforms, marketers are able to monitor how many people are visiting their sites or seeing their ads, if they are actually receiving engagement through clicks and shares, and even how much time they are spending on a site or page. If a certain marketing strategy seems to be attracting little attention through these insights, businesses can adjust their methods accordingly.
There is a marketing strategy that many people may not even know they are taking part in, and that is “user generated content.” Marketing is no longer a one-sided effort. By sharing posts, images, writing reviews, or simply commenting on a certain business, consumers are effectively marketing businesses for them, which not only requires less content generation, but makes people feel like they are part of the brand. This allows the marketers themselves to plan their methods accordingly, and allow their customers want to spread the word.
Similarly, a company’s brand is their reputation, and nowhere is it more important to represent your business professionally than on social media. With the billions of internet users in the world, your online activity will be seen. Your customers can gain a deeper understanding of who you are, what your company is about, and even see your business’s sense of humor through several social media platforms.
The internet and social media aren’t going anywhere, so keeping up with the constantly changing marketing landscape is crucial. Businesses will need to adapt to the rapid changes, or risk losing ground to their competitors.
