The link between Search Engine Optimization and Social Media marketing has been on the cards since early 2010. It is also clear that many online marketers did not anticipate just how effective social media would become as an enterprise since its establishment in 1997. Like SEO, social media marketing has evolved substantially in the past two decades, going from barely 100 million users in 2010 to a staggering 4.48 billion users in July 2021.
With this in mind, it has become clear that a well-laid out social media action plan can expose your company to billions of potential new leads and, hopefully, a better conversion rate.
Social Media Stats in 2021
Why is social media so important, and why should it be a key indicator in your brand awareness strategy? How about some hard stats?
- According to global stats, social media users account for 57% of the total global population (4.48 billion).
- Facebook owns 4 of the six social media platforms that have 1 billion users. This means that at some point, there will be user overlaps online marketers can take advantage of. These companies are Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, and Instagram.
- Advertising accounts for 92% of Facebook’s gross revenue.
- In online marketing, social media advertising ranked second, only four percentage points behind search engine marketing in terms of effectiveness. It ranked first in Business to Business marketing with a whopping 83% of marketers preferring it to other strategies.
- 90% of potential customers try to reach new and existing brands via social media.
- 89% of people who follow brands on social media end up purchasing products from these brands.
- 80% of organizations use social media publishing to target new leads.
Essentially, social media marketing has revolutionized the concept of headless commerce, with more and more companies realizing just how potent this enterprise is to online advertising. Social media enterprising has moved past social trend analysis into a more intricate, well-established, and tactical endeavor.
Let’s look at how the rules have changed and how an online marketing agency can benefit from social media marketing.
How to Maximize Social Media Marketing in 2021
Relationship Marketing
The 2020/2021 period has seen a lot of mistrust between users and top brands. Advertisements have become increasingly annoying and highly impersonal. One key strategy point is to invest in relationship management. This tactic aims to strengthen severed bonds between employees, customers, and affiliate influencers to improve the consumer experience. Ideally, brands invest in painting their companies as champions of customer interactions and providing a positive industry experience.
User Intent Analysis
Although this may be more inclined towards organic results on search engines, it still has plenty of applications in social media marketing. Remember that the most crucial criterion for content evaluation is quality. Before putting your content to be shared, liked, or commented on, ensure you deliver what your target audience wants. Once you’ve established yourself as a trusted brand, you will need to provide quality to ensure you maintain customer engagement. You don’t have to advertise for people to purchase from you–if your content is any good, customers will find their way to you.
Diversify
Change up your engagement strategy. At the beginning of the article, there were some hard facts on how many social media platforms you can use to put yourself out there. Remember that what works on Facebook will not necessarily work on Tiktok. Some platforms like Instagram get quality engagement from simple posts, while Youtube may require educative video content. Versatility is a crucial trait in social media marketing. Diversify your content to ensure you increase your conversion rate.
Go Live!
There is nothing users appreciate more than real-time engagement. Platforms like Onlyfans, Instagram, and Facebook live have blown up online because celebrities interact directly with their fans and give swift responses to their concerns. Going live allows your customers to interact with you and get first-hand information about what your brand is about. Note that this is one way to put a face to a name–a factor that contributes immensely to establishing brand trust.
Bottom Line
Paid advertising is slowly running its course, and it’s only a matter of time before social media marketing takes its place. Now is the time for online marketing agencies to grab this opportunity by the scruff of the neck.
