It has been approximately five years since marketers started dabbling in social media. As with most things, some people jumped in head first, eager to give social media marketing a try. Others were reluctant to follow suit until they could see real, proven return-on-investment (ROI).
Today, there is no doubt that social media can (and should) play a key role in business marketing strategies. However, what does the last five years tell us about the most effective social media platforms for business marketing today?
What are the Main Purposes of Social Media Marketing?
Obviously, businesses should be utilizing social media for educating and engaging with their target market. However, what have marketers found to be the best benefits from their social marketing efforts?
Brand Awareness: The best result is brand awareness. Being active and advertising on social media platforms is great for brand visibility, helping to keep your company top-of-mind when making buying decisions. Since it takes seven to ten interactions with your brand before someone decides to buy from you, this visibility is essential and should not be overlooked.
Website Traffic: Second to brand awareness is traffic to your website. Website traffic is a great thing to measure. If your website was created with conversions in mind, then sending people from social media to your website is exactly what you want. When people interact with your website, they are more likely to buy from you; therefore, website traffic should be considered when taking into consideration ROI.
Generate Sales: Yes, it’s true. The third most effective use of social media marketing directly impacts your bottom line. When done correctly, your social engagement and posts can directly lead to sales for your business, especially when you use social media advertising (which is way more affordable and more effective than traditional advertising methods).
Other benefits include everything from building brand loyalty, obtaining customer insights, improving customer service, and growing blog readership and followers.
In short, marketers have found that utilizing social media is effective at growing a business’s bottom line.
The Key to Social Media Marketing Success
Along with determining what is the most effective uses of social activity for businesses, marketers agree on one thing: reporting is key. In a nutshell, it is essential to analyze the data to determine what is most effective for your specific business and target audience and then tailor your strategy to replicate what works and cease what is getting less than desired results.
What, exactly, should you be measuring? Reach, website traffic, engagement (comments, shares, and likes), and direct sales.
Best Platforms? It Depends
A general rule of thumb is to definitely advertise on Facebook and make sure you use Google+ for search engine optimization purposes, especially if you are a business with a local target audience. If you are a business-to-business organization, then you have to be on LinkedIn.
We have written several blogs about the best platforms for your business. Check them out for a more detailed look at which social media platforms you should use for the best results (links are provided below). At the end of the day, the best platform varies depending on your target audience.
Need Social Media Marketing Help?
If you are looking for help utilizing the power of social media to grow your business’s online visibility and bottom line, then turn to Uptick Marketing. Let us create a tailored, strategic plan to help your business succeed online.
Contact Uptick Marketing in Birmingham, Alabama and Destin, Florida today for a free consultation. We work with businesses all across the United States and Canada, providing tailored digital marketing solutions with proven ROI. What are you waiting for? Get started today!
