Today social media is more popular than ever, and that popularity is only going to increase. With the rise of smartphones and tablets, consumers are more inclined to check their social-media accounts multiple times throughout the day. Americans spend more time on social media than any other major Internet activity, including email, and approximately 60 percent of social-media time is spent on smartphones and tablets, Business Insider reported. Over 74 percent of online adults use social networking sites, according to the Pew Research Center.
Due to the prominence of social-networking sites, it is important for retailers to utilize social-media marketing. In today’s digital age, having a strong social-media presence is just as important as having a well-designed website. With social-media marketing, retailers can generate more leads and turn those leads into sales. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest, are an easy and cost-effective way for retailers to increase their exposure and target and engage their audience.
Through social media, retailers can better connect with consumers and shine a light on their products and brand. The can share company information and promotions, as well as use ads to strategically target their audience and appeal to those who would be interested in their products. Also, with social media it’s easy for retailers to measure their engagement, so they can determine what marketing strategies work well and which do not.
Social-media marketing is beneficial for businesses of all sizes and across all industries. While there are many advantages of social-media marketing, here are some of the major benefits.
Benefit No. 1: Increased SEO Success
Most retailers are probably already familiar with the importance of SEO. In a nutshell, search engine optimization is essential to improving your rankings on search engines. Most Internet users don’t scroll past the first page of search results, so getting your website and offsite profiles on the first page is essential. Social-media marketing can help you increase your search engine rankings. Social-media sites are another platform where you can incorporate the keywords you want your business to rank for. In addition, having a strong social-media presence will also help boost your authority in the eyes of search engines.
Benefit No. 2: Enhanced Brand Recognition
As many consumers are heavily engaged with social media, it’s a great platform to increase your brand recognition. Through your social-media posts, you can share your brand’s voice, products and services, and content. Social media makes you more accessible and recognizable to your prospective and existing customers.
Benefit No. 3: Better Engagement With Consumers
Social-media sites are an easy and cost-effective way to increase your engagement with consumers. Brands that actively engage their customers on social media tend to experience higher brand loyalty. On social media, you can quickly respond to customer concerns, as well as share information about deals, promotions, contests and events. You can also use your social channels to share your recent blog posts and company related news, which will increase your authority and credibility in the consumer’s eye.
Benefit No. 4: Higher Conversions
Social-media marketing gives you more opportunities to generate leads and to convert those leads into sales. Every time you post something on social media, you are creating more opportunities for consumers to convert. By building up your social-media presence, you can generate a larger following and boost your traffic and conversions.
Benefit No. 5: It’s Inexpensive
Social-media marketing is more effective and less expensive that other marketing strategies. Even paid advertising through Facebook and LinkedIn is cheaper and less time consuming in comparison to many outbound marketing techniques.
Hugh Sinclair is logistics VP at Shopping Blitz, an online marketplace that provides clothing, accessories, shoes and lifestyle products.
