What began as nothing
more than an online hangout has now become a massive network that spans
multiple platforms and services. Social media has grown to become one of
the most valuable tools in a digital marketer’s toolbox.
As we cross into 2016, incorporating a
social media marketing strategy into your overall marketing will be more important than ever before.
5 Important Reasons to Focus on Social Media Marketing
Once you’ve finished
creating a blog,
the next step is promoting it. This is best done using social media. To
dominate each of the biggest social media platforms in 2016, you’ll
need a strong focus and strategy for each platform.
Of course, you’ll also want to know
what you’re getting back on this investment. Today we’ll take a look at 5
reasons why social media marketing must be a part of your strategy in
2016.
1. Social Media Platforms Drive Traffic
A properly structured and delivered
post on social media has the potential to drive numerous leads to your
site that are oftentimes ready to convert. With the proper strategy in
place, you have the potential to reach countless people. Take Facebook
for example, which has over
1.5 billion users that log in at least once a month!
2. SEO Benefits
While organic search traffic and SEO will always be important, as platforms like Facebook start to
incorporate their own search engine algorithms,
your strategy here will be as important, if not more so. Social media
profiles also appear on search results when searching for brands,
meaning that your profile page has the potential to appear in organic
search results as well.
3. User Engagement
A crucial element of any successful
business is the ability to engage with their users and customers. While
this can be done via email or in the comments of a post, it’s most
natural when done on a social media platform.
Creating a memorable experience for the user is easily done when you reach out to your users on a platform they know and use consistently.
4. Building Your Brand
Establishing your brand
involves not only reaching your potential customers, but also creating a
unique profile for yourself and your ideals. Creating profiles on the
major social media platforms offers your brand an opportunity to
differentiate itself and showcase a unique personality. You can more
easily convey a brand in this fashion and establish a reputation before
your leads even visit your site.
5. A Mobile-Focused Future
We’ve known for some time now that
smartphones are the dominant devices used by people to access the
internet, but if we look at just the amount of people using their phones
for social media, the numbers are even more shocking.
Between the U.S., Canada, and the U.K,
mobile devices are used for up to 76%
of the time spent on social media. What does this mean for your
strategy? Since this statistic is so high, that means you’ll need to be
absolutely sure that the user experience on your website is positive for
users on mobile devices.
Users that are accessing social media
on their smartphones have apps and tools to share anything, anywhere.
Your social strategy should reflect a focus on providing the ultimate
experience on both desktop and mobile devices.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the importance and
benefits of social media marketing is just the beginning. The next step
is to understand how to properly strategize for each platform, and which
ones are best for reaching your audience. How have you used this
infographic to improve your social media strategy? Share your thoughts
and experience in the comments below!
