There are 3.6 billion users on social media, and these users are on social media every day, multiple times a day. If you are a company or business owner, there is no way you can afford to not market on social media. This is your opportunity to use social media to sell your product or service to prospective and loyal customers.

Social networks are an invaluable marketing tool as they allow the company or business to connect with the customer in a way that did not exist before the digital age. SMM can help your audience understand you and what you have to offer. This, in turn, can help you generate more leads and conversions and get you ahead of your competitors! One of the best parts about SMM is that it is one of the most cost-effective ways of advertising a product or service.

Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of using SMM and why you should use it in your business development strategies!

Strong Relationship with Customer Base

A successful business needs to create and nurture its relationship with its customer base. To foster this relationship, you need to think outside of promoting and selling. Instead, your audience wants to see you engaging with them on social media. An example is when an Instagram user tags your product or service, you should share it on your page or leave a comment. This way, they will feel like they know you on a personal level. 

You must also respond to whatever comment your audience leaves so that they will feel that you are more than just a brand but that you care about their needs and opinions. This improves customer satisfaction and creates a one-to-one relationship. Ultimately, you achieve sustainable business growth by developing a solid relationship with your customers through SMM.

A tip is to post questions directed to your audience to receive direct feedback!

SMM Generates More Leads and Conversions

As there are 3.6 billion social media users, your brand exposure increases exponentially. As a result, social media networks are a great place to generate leads and turn them into sales. Different platforms allow you to use both organic tactics and paid advertising to boost conversions. There is also earned traffic, which comes from shares, likes and comments. 

To generate leads, it all falls down to content, content content. The more compelling your social media content is, the more leads you’ll attract and convert into sales. However, before creating persuasive content, you must understand what your audience on each social network platform wants to see.

You also need to ensure the content you post is tailored to the platform. As Gary Vaynerchuk said, “Content is king, but context is God.” If your SMM platform is Instagram, your audience is looking to see exciting visuals and a captivating caption. If your platform is Facebook, your audience wants to read something with substance.

A few things to try on social networks to increase sales include; creating contests for your audience, hosting live videos to create excitement around new products, including links to your website in your profile, and implementing marketing campaigns.

Get Ahead of the Competition

If you stand out, your social media marketing strategy could put you ahead of the competition. While it’s essential to see what your competitors are doing and even to take inspiration, it is vital that you do not copy them. Instead, improve. 

So what is and what isn’t working for your competitors? Analysing your competitor’s social media data is an effective strategy as there is much to learn. The information you can gather from their accounts allows you to improve upon what your competitors are doing. Tracking their results means you can see exactly what is working for them and what is not and develop your strategies accordingly. For example, if a popular trend is going around on Instagram reels, and your competitors are getting great engagement from this trend, it is best to try it too, but with your own twists to help you stand out!

SMM is Cost-Effective 

When promoting a product or service, social media is a cost-effective option in comparison to many other marketing services out there. Creating a social media profile is free, and sharing content and engaging with your customer base is free. When you want to run paid advertising, the costs are again low compared to most other advertising methods. If your paid advertising post performs well, then the cost of your ad against your sales will be a higher return on your investment. The benefit of SMM is that you can always track how your advertisements perform with an analysis of the engagement on your posts. This is also a cost-free way to collect and analyse data to fine-tune your social media marketing strategy.

In the e-commerce age, social media marketing is a strategy that all businesses need to incorporate to stay in the game. So to make sure that you’re not missing out on the benefits of SMM, get in contact with us at The Digital Age so we can develop and implement a strategy for you!