The Importance of Social Media

Whether you like it or not, social media is everywhere and most importantly it is here to stay. Social media platforms included: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, Tumblr and well you get the picture. The list goes on and on as more social media platforms are being developed daily. It is similar to the Hunger Games in fashion of you never know who is going to survive or which one is going to become the next big sensation.

Social media started out as being a place where you could post pictures or write details of your everyday life (flashback to MySpace, if anyone remembers that one). Now it is used as a powerful marketing tool for businesses across the world. Since it is #SocialMediaDay (you can’t celebrate appropriately without using a hashtag), TriAd Marketing & Media thought it would be vital to use this day to show how important it is for you and your business.

According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their website. According to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media. Those are some pretty big numbers. Let’s starting getting specific about what exactly social media can do for your brand.

1. Increased Brand Recognition. Every chance you get to share your content and increase your visibility. Social media channels are intended to be another medium to share your brand’s story, messaging and content. This is important because it means you are getting your message out on platforms and you are more accessible for your customers. For example, just this week we were trying to get ahold of a local newspaper, when we didn’t hear from them right away. We took to their social media and got a response within 20 minutes!
2.  Improved Brand Loyalty. Brands who engage on social media are likely to have stronger loyalty from their customers. Have you ever reached out to a company on social media then just not heard anything back at all? I’m sure. It is those time when customers do hear back from that company that stands out in their mind and creates a sense of loyalty between the brand and their customers.
3. Higher Conversion Rates. Social media marketing results in higher conversion rates in a few distinct ways. Perhaps the most significant is its humanization element. Social media is a place where brands can show their true personality and act like humans. They can include humor, admit fault and create a voice to draw customers in. Additionally, studies have shown that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing.
4. Better Search Engine Rankings. SEO is the best way to capture relevant traffic from search engines, but the requirements for success are always changing. Google and other search engines may be calculating their rankings using social media presence as a significant factor, because of the fact that strong brands are all using social media. Being active on social media can act as a ‘brand signal’ to search engines that your brand is legitimate, credible and trustworthy. That means, if you want to rank for a given set of keywords, having a strong social media presence could almost be mandatory.

These are just a few of many reasons why social media is so important to brands and businesses today. If you aren’t jumping on the social media train, your brand might be left behind. Contact TriAd today if you need help getting your business involved in social media! Happy posting!