Social media marketing refers to the process of creating customized content for social media platforms with the goal of driving engagement and promoting your brand. Social media marketing is beneficial because it allows brands to strengthen relationships with their customers on the channels they prefer.
Why is social media important for brands?
Despite many migrating to other social media platforms, Facebook still has 2.85 billion monthly active users, according to Statista. If you count all of the Facebook family of social media platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, that number rises to 3.51 billion monthly. By 2022, the number of social media users worldwide is expected to reach 3.96 billion. As of 2021, 82% of the U.S. population has a social networking profile.
These statistics show why it is important for brands to invest in social media marketing. Social media is a channel where consumers can freely and openly discuss how they feel about a brand's products and services, making it the perfect place to reach customers on their own terms – where they are comfortable spending their time. According to a GlobalWebIndex report, from January to March 2020, consumers spent an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networks (and associated messaging apps). More importantly, the report also shows that up to 50% of social media users use social networks to research products and services.
Joe Sinkwitz, CEO of Intellifluence, says social media has finally realized the potential it has been promising since the first social networks emerged. Audiences now have rich communities of self-segmented individuals, and analytics are attached to every action. “At Intellifluence, we do our own research on everything, so a significant portion of our traffic comes from our own community of influencers on Facebook sharing their experiences and engaging with their audience, on Twitter to expand our reach, on LinkedIn to show our experts,” he explains.
“It's now so easy to track traffic and sign-ups to the initial piece of content and the person who contributed that content, so rewarding individuals and in turn encouraging continued support is a simple process. The growth of social networks that allow for the attribution of actions is exactly why brands are willing to invest the time and effort into engaging with the myriad buyer personas they represent.”
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How does social media marketing work?
There are many popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, WeChat, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitch, VK, etc. Other sites that are not true social networks, such as Reddit and YouTube, are still important for social media marketers. What's important for brands to understand is that every social media platform is different, so the content a brand creates for one platform probably won't be appropriate for another.
Additionally, there are several aspects of social media marketing to consider. Influencer marketing can be considered one aspect of social media marketing, while another is paid social. “In some cases, they are interchangeable. For example, a brand can commission an influencer's work on Facebook, and if that influencer exists in Facebook's creator system, the brand can amplify the post as a boosted ad unit,” Sinkwitz said. The third aspect of social media marketing is direct promotion via social channels through the brand's social media presence. “For example, Wendy's does a great job of engaging with their audience through their own account on Twitter… Sometimes they also amplify influencer work and use paid advertising, but their focus is to convey satire,” Sinkwitz explained.
Liz Raad, co-founder of the eBusiness Institute, spoke about the effectiveness of social media: “Hyper-connectivity through social media has changed how people feel about their family, friends and peers, as well as how they think about 'trends' and the current situation.” The pandemic led to a surge in social media usage as people took refuge in safe online communities while lockdowns were implemented around the world, schools were closed and businesses were shuttered. People spent more time online and changed the way they thought about entertainment, business and work. Brands realized that they could use social media platforms to increase access to information, engage with their key target audiences, generate interest and convert sales leads.
“As social media discussions evolve, people are looking for more authentic, transparent and informative interactions,” said Lard. Social media marketing doesn't have to be difficult or complicated, but it does have to be authentic. “People are looking for more authentic online interactions, and this means they're looking for brands with authentic personas that can add value to their interaction experience.”
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What to post on social media
As with any medium, the content a brand posts on social platforms should align with the brand's voice and values. Social media is a medium where brands can express more of their personality and character. Humor and light-hearted, fun content allow customers to see the human side of your brand. Customers know that brands are businesses whose goal is to make money, but they don't want to be constantly bombarded with sales pitches and advertising gimmicks. Overusing social media for advertising will alienate customers rather than strengthening brand loyalty.
“Social media marketing can be as simple as pre-scheduled content with specific, achievable, measurable business goals, such as increasing reach or brand awareness, converting users to sales, or driving traffic to your website,” Raad explains. “Social media marketing can also be as in-depth as creating complete campaigns, with or without advertising, focusing on several different themes or elements at once to engage with users and measure that engagement as an indicator of success.”
Any social media marketing campaign should include social listening to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign. Social listening involves monitoring social media platforms for mentions of your brand, competitors, products, services, and keywords. This not only gives your brand insight into what customers are saying and how they feel about your brand, but also gives you a way to discover pain points in the customer journey.
Related Article: Is Social Media Marketing Heading for an End?
You don't need every social platform for social media marketing
Brands should first define the goal of their social media marketing campaign and then determine the most effective means of achieving that goal on the most appropriate social media platform. Kelvin Chan, CMO of Training.com.au, told CMSWire that many brands make the mistake of trying to market themselves on every social media platform, rather than focusing on the platform that best suits their customer or segment. “Many brands make the mistake of trying to tackle all the social media giants at once, but it's best to focus on one or two so you can concentrate on driving engagement for your audience on those platforms. The same person behaves differently on Facebook than on Instagram,” Chan said.
He said his brand decided to focus on Facebook and Instagram, but it quickly became clear that Facebook was the better platform: “We have 39,451 followers on Facebook and 1,873 followers on Instagram. Clearly, Facebook became popular because it aligned with user intent. Facebook is more used for business and education purposes, whereas Instagram is more for entertainment.”
Each social media platform has its own benefits, and depending on your brand's goals and products and services, certain platforms will serve specific purposes. “Each social media platform can be leveraged for different results to increase engagement and build brand awareness, recognition, and customer loyalty. For example, you can leverage Twitter and Instagram for updates, Facebook for brand awareness and reach, LinkedIn to connect with potential customers, and YouTube as a resource hub,” suggests Chan. For example, a travel agency may thrive on visual social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, as well as an art gallery. Meanwhile, a web design business will likely thrive on sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. Additionally, different customer segments are likely to use the social media platforms that appeal most to them. Older customers may not be TikTok users, and younger customers may not be Twitter users.
Final thoughts
Many people use social media platforms as their preferred channels for building and strengthening relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and even brands. Brands are finding social media platforms to be highly effective marketing channels by posting relevant content that aligns with their company's values and allows them to showcase their personality and character. Different social media platforms appeal to customers for specific reasons, so brands need to choose the most appropriate social platform to align with their specific customer segments and goals.
