3 Reasons to Invest in Social Media Marketing

It's no secret that social media has taken the world by storm. Regardless of the industry, organizations of all types and sizes have continued to realize the immense benefit of being able to connect personally with their customers and target audience online.

But with a thousand different priorities and strategies pulling on your time and attention, why should social media marketing make it on the top of your to-do list?

The Basics: What is Social Media (and Why Should I Care)

The term social media has come to refer to a myriad of sites, platforms, and apps available online that enable users to connect with others, to create original content, and to share their thoughts and stories with the world. The list of potential platforms is ever-changing, but a few of the currently most recognizable ones are:

• Facebook

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Twitter

• TikTok

• LinkedIn

...and so many more!

Over 4 billion people worldwide are social media users, with the average user utilizing seven different platforms each week for an average of 90+ minutes a day. (Source: Sprout Social) That's a lot of people spending a lot of time networking online!

And if you're wondering if this kind of global social media usage is impacting how customers interact with businesses, let this sink in: 75% of all internet users use social media to research the brands, and nearly 80% of consumers are more willing to purchase from a business after having a positive experience on social media.

Social media marketing is typically grouped into two practical categories:

• Paid Social - Running ads and sponsored content on social media platforms to target specific target customer groups

• Organic Social - Creating business profiles and producing free content that showcases your brand and connects with both existing and potential customers

Each approach has its own benefits and drawbacks depending on your unique business goals, and best practice research overwhelmingly suggests getting solidly set up with your organic social content before branching out to invest financially in paid social... But in either case:

Social media marketing packs a punch when it comes to an organization's potential ability to grow awareness for their product and to connect with existing and potential customers.

So without further ado, let's talk about why every organization should be present on social media and consider it a vital part of their overall marketing strategy:

Reason #1 - It's FREE.

What other marketing tactic can you think of that requires literally no expense to get off the ground? One of the best things about getting set up on social media is that creating your business's profile requires zero financial investment - talk about cost effective! While you can eventually grow into paid social campaigns like social ads and premium social media features, just getting started with setting up a profile is a great way to get started. Organic social media has a fantastic ROI because the only required investment is as much or as little time as you are currently able to invest!

Think of social media business profiles as a sort of mini-website or online magazine: They should showcase who you are, explain what you're all about, and give customers a place to interact with you in a way that is easy and familiar to them.

It really is a no-brainer first step to getting your online marketing up and running.

Reason #2 - It's where your customers are.

It has never been easier to engage with and learn from your customers - both existing and potential. Now you can network, collaborate, and gather data to inform good business decisions like never before, all waiting for you at your fingertips on the other side of your laptop and smartphone.

After all, good marketing is like the Little Mermaid: You want to be where the people are. If you want your message to get in front of the right people at the right moment for them to benefit from your product, you have to go where the people are - and the stats are clear: the people are on social media.

Reason #3 - It has massive potential to grow your business.

Looking to find new customers and grow awareness for your brand? Social media can do that. Need a way to ask your existing customers about their experience and keep them engaged in your business? Yes again to social media. Maybe you need an easy way to increase your fundraising efforts or an easy-to-use platform where people can purchase what you have to offer? Social media checks those boxes too.

Regardless of your current business size or goals, social media is a fairly simple, easy way to help you grow your ability to serve your customers well and to provide an approachable, authentic online presence that inspires trust and credibility with potential and existing customers.

Ready to begin, but need some help getting started?

While using social media is relatively simple and easy compared to other more complex marketing approaches (on-demand, no printing or mailing physical materials, etc.) it can still feel daunting to get started if you've never done it before.

This is where August Social would love to help! No matter where you are in the process: whether you're looking to get started for the first time or wanting to take your existing strategies to the next level, ASC is here to help.

Contact us for a free consultation to see how we can best help you take the next steps in your digital marketing strategy.