- At its core, social media marketing has the ability
to bring a new kind of exposure
and interaction to your business.
For starters, social media marketing creates the opportunity
to hear from your customers.
Oftentimes, they'll share things directly
with your social channels,
or ask questions that might help you identify the good
or bad in your business.
Now, whether you sell directly to consumers
or business to business,
social media has tremendous potential.
Most notably is access to real time conversations.
You as a brand can participate in discussions
that are relevant to your industry.
You can advance social causes
or educate followers on niche industry updates.
Social media also gives you an outlet
to establish credibility.
Today's savvy consumers
are spending more time researching brands
and products before spending any money,
and with an active social media presence,
well, you'll allow customers to indirectly advocate for you.
If they're leaving a positive comment,
sharing a review, or interacting with your materials,
it'll boost your overall credibility.
You'll also begin to develop a community,
and a community is an important tool
for driving awareness to your business.
As customers become advocates,
they'll turn to social media to leave a compliment,
or they'll share what you're posting.
Even if they're having an issue,
your timely responses will signal to others
that you have excellent support.
This amplification is incredibly valuable.
It's this community
that will ignite your word of mouth marketing
and help you reach untapped territory.
Friends look to friends for recommendations,
and social media allows you to activate those opportunities
and expose your brand to a new audience.
Now, these are just a few examples
of the value of social media.
Take the time to look at your own objectives,
and determine what would be the biggest value for you.
Each value can have a different motivation.
You might want to build a community simply
to retain your existing customer base,
whereas you might also want to build a community
for the sole purpose of getting content to go viral.