Building the Business Case for Social Media Marketing
Everyone seems to be raving about the abounding benefits of social media for business, but is it justified? Absolutely.
Social media is neither a fad nor a “young man’s game”. It’s a fundamental part of your customers’ lives and, so, today’s dominant marketing channel. It’s not only where your customers choose to live online, but where your competitors are eagerly snatching up their attention too.
If you’re on the fence about going social, read on. These are the bare-bone facts about social media marketing for business.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social Media Marketing, SMM, is a branch of digital marketing that uses various social media networks (or platforms) to promote a brand, product, or service.
Like Search Engine Marketing (SEM), SMM comprises organic and paid-for elements to increase business exposure and thus [audience] reach. Beyond branding, SMM is also one of the few marketing channels that enables you to reach potential and existing customers during every stage of their buying journey.
Why Use Social Media For Business?
Social media marketing is an immensely powerful tool, offering heaps of rewards with very little risk.
Audience behaviour has changed
People have shifted their attention from conventional media to online platforms (think Netflix and streaming radio), with social media capturing the lion’s share of their focus.
Fish where the fish are
The numbers don’t lie:
- There are approximately 57 million people in South Africa, and 54% are online, according to the We Are Social and Hootsuite Global Digital Yearbook for 2019¹.
- 21 million people in SA are on Facebook—that’s 38% of the population and growing! This figure was reported in Arthur Goldstruck’s 2018 SA social media landscape report².
- LinkedIn, a platform for business professionals, boasts 6.8 million users.
- Don’t forget that some people use Instagram but not Facebook, and many hold multiple social media accounts.
South Africans spend an average of 8½ hours online daily, of which nearly 3 hours are spent on social media³.
Purchasing habits have changed
Today, whenever we want to know about or buy something, we look online—especially for reviews. We want to hear about other people’s experiences.
We trust reviews and peer recommendations from third-party sources more than brand-generated content. Customer testimonials on your website build credibility (keep them coming!), but Google reviews or Facebook recommendations carry far more weight.
It’s what people want
Today’s customers—and even more so tomorrow’s—crave a relationship with their preferred brands. They want an authentic experience; they want to “know” your brand as if it were a person.
This is the power of building a following. Social media allows you to create a community of followers who actively choose to hear from your brand. Just when you think it couldn’t get better, social media proves to be the marketing channel that keeps giving.
It’s what we want!
When you win the hearts of your audience, unwavering loyalty follows, and two important things happen:
- Your audience becomes your sales team. Followers will publish glowing reviews, answer prospects’ questions, and spread the word about YOUR business.
- Your ambassadors become your defenders. If your company faces criticism—a troll posts a nasty, unnecessary comment, for example—your audience will quickly shut that down. It’s PR perfection.
That’s just the tip of the social media iceberg. Social media marketing is a powerful tool offering huge rewards with little risk, provided it’s properly executed. We’ll cover the benefits of social media marketing and how to do it right in upcoming posts.
¹ We Are Social & Hootsuite Global Digital Yearbook 2019