Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that social media marketing has disrupted traditional marketing methods.

But can social media marketing really determine your business’s fate? Absolutely.

In an era where digital presence is key, how you manage your social platforms can spell success or disaster.

Social media involves creating and sharing content to achieve branding and marketing goals.

As such, it is a powerful, real-time and affordable marketing tool.

Let’s discuss the importance of social media in your marketing toolkit, offering insights and strategies to ensure you’re using these platforms to their fullest potential.

You Have to Be in The Social Media Marketing Game to Play

You’re invisible to today’s digital-savvy consumers if you’re not actively participating in social media marketing.

It’s not just about having a presence; it’s about being active, engaging, and authentic in real time.

If you are not using social media as part of your business’s marketing strategy, you are only accomplishing the opposite: losing business to your competitors.

Think of social media as the modern-day marketplace where conversations happen, opinions form, and loyalty are built.

By skipping this vital arena, you’re missing out on connecting with your audience, telling your story, and staying ahead of your competition.

Your competitors use social media to attract new clients and communicate with existing ones.

Whether businesses should use social media networking and marketing is no longer a question.

The question is how businesses should integrate social media into their marketing mix.

So, roll up your sleeves and get in the game—your brand’s future depends on it.

It is Not a Trend

Marketing is one of those tasks in a business that is necessary but daunting at the same time.

It may also seem that new marketing trends emerge constantly.

For example, AI has been introduced in all aspects of marketing, including AI-generated visual content marketing.

If you tried everyone, you and your business would go broke.

This, however, is not the case when it comes to social media marketing.

It’s not a trend that will fade away; it’s a permanent fixture in the business landscape and is here to stay.

Social media marketing is an essential strategy for businesses in the digital age.

With billions of active users across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, your audience spends a significant part of their day on these platforms.

Ignoring social media means missing out on direct engagement with potential customers.

It’s a dynamic space where brands can build relationships, showcase their values, and respond to real-time audience needs.

Simply put, social media marketing is a cornerstone of modern business, providing a direct line to the people who matter most: your customers.

This means that your business needs to learn how to leverage the power of social media now, or it will suffer the consequences of lost customers and a decrease in profits later.

Social Media Marketing Creates a Sales Force

Social media marketing transforms your loyal customers into an unstoppable sales force.

By engaging your audience with captivating content, you encourage shares, likes, and comments that amplify your brand’s reach.

Still not convinced that social media is a powerful tool for promoting your business and boosting your sales?

Consider that the average Facebook user has about 338 friends.

Assume that one of your clients mentions that they just bought your product or used one of your services and how great it was.

You just received a positive advertisement for your business that reached at least 338 people.

Then, multiply the 338 people the initial message reached by the 338 people each of these friends has on their Facebook page, and now we are talking about some serious numbers.

All you had to do was create the platform for these conversations and get your “sales force” to start spreading the word.

Each interaction is a mini-endorsement, generating organic buzz that attracts new potential buyers.

It is Free

When it comes to the marketing budget, it is always music to a business owner’s ears when they find out that social media marketing is free.

Of course, you do have the option to pay for advertising on social media platforms.

You or an employee should create a social media marketing plan, and someone must implement the plan.

But other than the time it takes to do this, social media marketing does not cost you or your business a dime.

Stop fighting it. Join the millions of small, medium, and large corporations using social media as part of their marketing strategy.

If you continue to fight it, you may as well refer your customers directly to your main competitor, who uses social media.

Always Focus on the Customer

Brands should always remember to talk about what is important to their target market.

Your potential customers do not care what you say about your company. They are only concerned about how you can help them.

Rather than only posting and sharing information about your products or services, provide content to your target audience that is relevant to them.

Your goal is to attract and engage your target to the point where they will want to share your post with others.

An example of how to engage others is to ask customers for their feedback.

Try posting a picture of new product prototypes and ask customers which one they like best.

This will create a conversation that lets your customers know you value their opinion and will lead to more shares.

You will also learn more about your consumers’ preferences and tastes, which will help you cater future offerings to meet their needs.

Social Media Best Practices

If you are not using social media, you are missing out on customers engaging with your competitors on various platforms.

However, just having a presence on the social web is not enough.

Below are several best practices to follow while you ride the social media wave.

• Spend the most time on the social media platforms where your target audience hangs out.
• Devise a social media plan that includes consistent posting and aligns with your business goals.
• Share relevant and helpful information about your industry.
• Locate influencers in your niche and build relationships with them.
• Be sure to identify your target audience and speak directly to them.
• Engage potential customers online with platforms such as Facebook Live and Twitter chats.
• Consider using paid advertising on social media, such as Facebook ads.

A Word of Caution About Social Media Marketing

While social media marketing can skyrocket your brand’s visibility, it can also be a double-edged sword if mishandled.

Missteps like insensitive posts and controversial, offensive, or poorly timed content can quickly backfire, damaging your reputation.

Authenticity is key; forced trends and inauthentic engagement are easily spotted and criticized.

Moreover, over-reliance on social media platforms risks losing control over your audience.

Be prepared for algorithm changes, as what may be effective today could become outdated tomorrow.

I am sure you have noticed that the interfaces of many social media platforms change often.

As a result, we continually have to relearn how to use them.

And let’s not even discuss the algorithmic changes. What helps your social media reach increase one day can cost you followers the next.

Always have a contingency plan and diversify your marketing efforts to avoid these pitfalls and not become too reliant on any one platform.

Originally published September 8, 2020; Republished June 16, 2024, to update content and add video.