Soon, there is a big chance that social media will outgrow TV ad spend. Due to the massive amount of money that marketers are willing to pay on social networking sites. This statement alone can be proof that social media marketing works, but does it? Since there are still some brands that doubt if social media do wonders.
These skeptical brands often think that social media cannot justify the resources such as money, time, and effort that they would risk in the process. They fear that such an investment will not be worth it. So, they seek clear proof that social media marketing works. They find convincing proof is the only time that they will proceed with using this kind of marketing. If you are one of those still testing the waters, this is the sign for you to dive in because this article will give you more than a single proof that social media marketing works.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social Media Marketing, also known as SMM, uses social media platforms and social networking sites for marketing a product or service. It helps businesses reach a broader audience range in a short amount of time with an instant click. And not to mention that this type of marketing also allows companies to interact and engage with existing or future customers effortlessly. This way, companies of all sizes will not have difficulty elevating their respective customer services’ quality.
Furthermore, social media gives companies the freedom to publish content that reflects their mission, values, and goals. SMM offers them various outlets where they can express their uniqueness and creativity as a brand. Thru this, each company can impress its visitors and prove that they are worthy among other competitors.
Although social media comes with all of these perks, businesses are still quick to point out its downsides. Thus before trying it out, they keep on looking for proof that social media marketing works because they do not want to take a setback. And this is understandable because who wants to waste their hard work on something without certainty? That is why below, you will see the concrete evidence of such a claim.
Proving the Power of Social Media Marketing
Merely stating that a product works well is not enough to make anyone purchase that particular merchandise. The same goes for recommending a marketing strategy. Therefore, below is a list of proof that social media marketing works. Each proof contains statistics and figures to justify that using social media to market your business is worth the shot.
Proof 1: The Amount of Invested Money on SMM
Most marketers are well aware that once a form of marketing is not working, they withdraw any further allocated budget. With SMM, it is the complete opposite because more and more companies are willing to spend their money on marketing strategies related to social media. According to Buffer, 65% of marketers choose to increase their allocated budget for social media this year. Newly starting brands also start investing in SMM since 96% of small business owners reported that they market their companies thru social media.
This is not surprising since billions of active users present on various social networking sites that brands can attract. This significant number of users means more prospective buyers and leads for the business. This is clear proof that social media marketing works, for many companies are willing to bet their financial resources to secure a place on the platform.
Proof 2: SMM Generates Leads and Drives Organic Traffic
Social media marketing works best whenever you choose a social media site that is tested and proven. While Facebook is the most widely used option, you must still look for a particular area that will match your needs. To give you a heads-up, YouTube holds the top spot among leading social networking sites today in driving engaged traffic for businesses.
Shareaholic, a content amplification company, presents a chart of data from one of their surveys showing that YouTube drives higher engaged traffic than other social sites. Moreover, visitors from YouTube tend to bounce less than the remaining social media options’ referral traffic.
LinkedIn is also proof that social media marketing works since B2B marketers are fond of them. Why exactly? It is because 80% of these marketers’ social media leads come from this specific platform. In every five B2B marketers, four consider that LinkedIn provides their social media leads. The impressive result from both YouTube and LinkedIn is absolute proof that social media marketing works as long as you partner the strategy with the perfect platform.
Proof 3: SMM Raises Brand Awareness
Some brands try to market their products and services on social media. However, when they notice that their followers are not growing or their competitors are getting more followers, they stop. They step back, and in an instant, they assume that this kind of social proof marketing must not be working at all.
However, the truth is that your followers’ amount on social media does not necessarily mean that your brand awareness is not increasing. This is a bit tricky because an analysis from Brandwatch implies that 96% of the people discuss brands online, yet they do not remarkably follow the brand’s profile. These instances show that sometimes, your brand awareness is already soaring, even if you do not have many followers on your account.
Therefore, as hard as it is, you need always to be patient. Its wonders and benefits take a longer time to reap, but it is worth it for sure. All you have to do is to be active in every social media site as much as possible because, according to HubSpot – being always present produces a 23% increase in a company’s revenue. The rise of brand awareness among users is proof that social media marketing works for higher brand awareness equate to more potential buyers. And the more promising buyers you have, the higher the chance to make some sales.
Tips for More Effective Social Media Marketing
For a brand to be successful, knowing the facts and proof that social media marketing works are not enough. You need to follow it up with real-time actions and innovative practices to achieve better results. Here are a few valuable tips to get you started.
Optimize Each Social Media Platform
You must realize by now that the probability of success increase whenever you have multiple social media accounts. While managing different accounts will give you an edge, you should also understand that every social media platform has its strengths and weakness. Thus, you must use each one based on what they do best. For example, Facebook boosts brand awareness faster than any other social media site due to its massive users. On the other hand, YouTube is perfect for driving quality traffic. Creating a specific strategy per platform will make SMM progress quicker.
Come Up with a Signature Brand Color
It will help your brand if customers will instantly remember you after seeing a color representing you. According to Forbes, color amplifies brand recognition by a whopping 80%. Imagine how many users you can attract by merely setting a distinct color for your brand. Be sure to select a color that will evoke favorable feelings from customers. Choose a shade that is eye-catching and gives off the vibe of your brand.
Focus on Visually-Pleasing Content
It takes 10 seconds for a user to form an impression about your brands. That is how fast you need to get their attention with a post. Attractive images and videos should take up the most space in your social media accounts. These kinds of posts will guarantee a desirable output, knowing that people retain visual information 6x better than those they only heard or read. You can do this via Instagram stories, YouTube video ads, and even Facebook lives.
Consistency is Key
There are days when you will start to question if all of the posts and monitoring you do on social media are still worth it, but you have to keep going. You would not see actual results unless you consistently do it for a reasonable amount of time. Moreover, the posts’ frequency is not the only matter to be concerned with; you must often check if your content’s quality is consistently engaging and top-notch.
SocialPOP is here!
Social media marketing indeed requires tons of time and patience. If you cannot afford such, you can always look for great alternatives and other marketing strategies to work better for your brand, like SocialPOP. SocialPOP offers hassle-free features and affordable plans that can give you results close to using SMM. We also help brands increase conversion rates and achieve success in no time! Marketing your products and services has never been easier. Visit our website to know more!
