It’s no secret that having a thoughtful social media strategy can lead to success for your business and brand. However, you may be questioning the importance of implementing a social strategy due to its ever-evolving landscape. Is something that seems so daunting really necessary? As of January 2022, there were a recorded 3.96 billion social media users across all platforms – it’s past time to embrace our digital world. Here are three reasons why social media is more important than ever for your marketing strategy.
Be Seen
A presence on a social media network provides visibility for your brand and increases your chances of getting in front of your desired audience. According to a 2021 Sprout Social survey, more than half (55%) of consumers say social media is one of the main ways they discover new brands. B2B brands are no exception. Today, 40% of B2B buyers use social media to help inform purchasing decisions. And with so many social media platforms available, there are a variety of audiences at a business’s disposal. If you want to connect with decision-makers, employees, or recruits, using LinkedIn is a great place to start. Or, if you’re interested in getting in front of news outlets or reporters, consider joining Twitter and sharing quick, helpful statistics or joining in on relevant conversations and trending topics.
Tell Your Story
Social media also presents an opportunity and further bolster your brand’s identity and mission. One of the many pros of social media is that you can use your content to tell unique stories, going beyond just sharing ads or soliciting reviews. Every platform attracts a different audience – crafting content that speaks to your customers while also being specific to each platform is a must. Most brands need strong, eye-catching visuals on their channels to keep their audience engaged. With VNTANA, we streamlined and curated their content to speak to designers, freelancers and 3D artists on Instagram, while targeting key decision-makers in the retail industry on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
A boost in quality website traffic is another potential benefit of an active social presence. If you can find what content works for your audience, it can drive more visits to your website. Over time, we saw traffic from VNTANA’s social platforms to its website increase. After a three-month period, their bounce rate decreased by almost 10%, and their average session duration increased by 115%. All because social content better connected with the target audience.
Build Relationships
Connection is the new currency. A recent survey from Sprout Social stated that social is the number one channel for brands to connect with consumers, and a full 64% of consumers want brands to connect with them. So, how do you do this? The first step is to know your audience before building a content strategy. It starts with creating trust between your brand and your audience and maintaining it. Some marketers choose to use emotive marketing to create a strong connection with their followers. VNTANA knows that its customers value their time. Most of the customers that use its product are 3D artists who have to manually upload large 3D files to their e-commerce site, which can take several hours and cuts down on their design time. Occasionally, they’ll use content with this message to maintain their connection and show that they understand their challenges.
A simpler approach would be to use a community management strategy to connect with your audience online. Brands that interact directly with their customers (answering direct messages, replying to comments or posts) on social media are more likely to see higher brand engagement and a more efficient customer service process. Today’s social media users are airing out all their opinions, concerns and complaints online, so if you don’t have a community management strategy, consider this as your sign to begin. If you’re not sure where to start, remember that creating a relationship with your audience is as simple as responding, commenting, or liking a post from your followers.
Social media is a powerful tool to provide visibility, help improve engagement and help your brand form deeper connections with target audiences.