How Can Social Media Be Used As a Reliable Marketing Tool

Exploring the World of Social Media Marketing

We’ve all heard of social media in New Orleans. It’s everywhere that you go, and incorporated into everything from our cell phones to the Starbucks cup we’re drinking our morning coffee out of.

To some entrepreneurs and business owners, social media marketing has proven to be the “next big thing” or “new shiny object” in their marketing tool chest. For others, it’s a medium with virtually limitless and untapped potential.

No matter which end of the social media (SM) marketing spectrum you fall into, social media as a reliable marketing tool isn’t going anywhere fast (except up).

Is Social Media Marketing Reliable AND Profitable?

There are the doubters out there, and while a healthy amount of skepticism is a good thing, there can be no doubt that in 2019 and beyond social media is set to dominate the stage as one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to grow your business.

In fact, as far back as 2014 social media was kicking virtual butts and taking names with over 92% of marketers reporting that social media was important for their business and over 80% reporting that social media efforts resulted in increased targeted traffic to their websites.

Further, Social Media Examiner, a leader in social media data and insights reported that 97% of marketers actively participate in social media marketing.

Social Media Reach is Impressive:

· Facebook: over 1.55 BILLION users

· Twitter: over 255 MILLION users

· Instagram: over 800 MILLION active users

· LinkedIn: over 500 MILLION users

· Youtube: over 1.8 BILLION users monthly

· Snapchat: over 6 BILLION daily views

Benefits of Social Media Marketing in New Orleans

1. More Opportunities to Engage and Connect

There is no better place to engage, connect with and build personal connections with your audience than on social media. By being “present” and engaged where and when your target market hangs out, you can build and establish a loyal fan base of raving fans that will recommend and suggest your brand to others.

2. Increased Sales and Conversion Rates

Apart from Google, the next most highly researched place that consumers run to in order to “evaluate” the ability of your brand to solve their problem(s) and how you treat your customers is social media.

On social they can see if your brand is actively engaged and communicating with customers, if you’re available and reachable to chat, and what others are saying about you and your company. Over 80% of individuals are influenced by social feedback and reviews about your brand, and social media and peer reviews are among the MOST well-trusted among consumers and B2B audiences alike.

3. Improved Customer Insights

Data derived from customers on social media is an invaluable tool that can be used to develop and improve your offerings. For example, you can monitor what potential and current customers are saying about you and your competitors’ offers online. Customers and prospects are more likely to provide candid feedback more freely to their peers online than they are to in a direct survey provided by you or your brand.

4. Increased Search Engine Rankings and Traffic

While up for debate, social media may be a vital indicator Google uses in order to validate backlinks and other ranking signals.

Think of it like this, if your website has 10,000 backlinks but no one is talking about your site on social media wouldn’t that send a red flag to you that your backlinks and “popularity” is being manipulated?

On the other hand, real social media mentions, links, likes, and traffic sends a positive ranking, branding and validation signal to Google that your site is popular, and provides value to the intended audience, resulting in an increase in ranking.

5. Improved Brand Visibility, Authority, and Trust

Next, to Google, social media is where much of the world’s traffic goes to, with an integrated web search on Facebook and other platforms this number is increasing daily. If you want maximal exposure, brand validity, and authority in your niche you need to be on social media. Up the ante with reliable Facebook marketing or establish an engaging Twitter page.

94% of your competitors are on social media…ask yourself how it looks to your prospects if your social presence is a digital graveyard but your competitor’s is up to date with valuable information?

But how can you leverage this medium to promote and grow your own brand?

How to Leverage Social Media Marketing in New Orleans

Ok, so now that you’re convinced social media in New Orleans LA can help your business, what’s the next move?

You have a few options:

· Hire a social media agency

· Search for and seek out social media companies

· Go the DIY route

Regardless of what path you choose, be it hiring a local social media agency or tackling the task yourself, you’ll need to first establish a social media marketing strategy.

In fact, launching a social media campaign without a proper strategy in place can be worse than having no social presence at all. Remember the old adage, you only get one chance at a good first impression.

A proper strategic marketing plan will focus on:

· Creating valuable, educational and informative content

· Leveraging multi-media

· Engaging with your audience

· Crafting messaging that is relevant

· Developing a content plan that will attract, engage and retain a clearly-defined target audience.

So how do you accomplish this? Either you or the social media companies you hire will:

· Set goals

· Define your audience

· Identify and leverage the proper channels

· Curate, launch and monitor campaigns

· Measure and test leveraging data to make strategic decisions

· And more…

Closing Thoughts

Social media represents a unique marketing opportunity, allowing business to capitalize on the captive audience of various platforms, spanning well into the billions of unique individuals.

Unlike other marketing channels, social media allows you to more effectively attract, communicate with and engage your target audience on a granular level, helping you to optimize campaigns and generate maximal ROI on every campaign launched.

If you’re ready to learn more about how social media can help take your business to the next level, generating cost-effective leads and sales on auto-pilot, contact Infintech Designs today!