{"id":624,"date":"2018-12-08T13:52:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-08T11:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dazzlepop.net\/site\/?p=624"},"modified":"2018-12-08T13:52:19","modified_gmt":"2018-12-08T11:52:19","slug":"why-an-effective-social-media-marketing-strategy-is-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dazzlepop.net\/site\/why-an-effective-social-media-marketing-strategy-is-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy is Important"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s 2018 and we all have a pretty good understanding of social media and how it works, right? But what if I told you 96% of the people that discuss brands online do not follow those brands\u2019 owned profiles. Or that people 55-64 are more than twice as likely to engage with branded content than those 28 or younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the introduction of social media, we have a powerful tool at our fingertips that can share pieces of content all over the world in seconds. With this being said, social media marketing increases your brand\u2019s awareness. Many small business owners struggle with implementing an effective social media marketing strategy that drives sales (which is what you\u2019re going to learn in this blog).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part I: Why Social Media Marketing is Important<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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According to Social Media Examiner, 97% of small businesses use social media to attract new customers, but 85% of business owners aren\u2019t sure what social media tools to use. Unsettling, is the statistic that 63% of consumers who search for businesses online are more likely to become consumers of brands with an established social media presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This demonstrates a huge potential for social media marketing to increase sales but a lack of understanding on how to achieve those results. The consumers are there, itching to become brand ambassadors, but where is your business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media marketing helps to validate your brand and it\u2019s no longer optional. It\u2019s an essential way for companies to reach consumers, and when done correctly, tells those consumers that their brand is active and focused on communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The longer you wait, the more you have to lose. When done effectively, social media marketing can lead to more customers, more traffic, and more engagement. Having a social media presence without an active social media marketing strategy can be just as catastrophic for your business as having no plan at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get into how to build an effective social media marketing strategy, here is a look at a few of the ways social media marketing can improve your business. For the ultimate list of benefits, continue reading about LYFE Marketing\u2019s Top 75 benefits<\/a> of social media marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Branding<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Displaying your business\u2019 personality through social media is one of the best ways to connect with your target audience. Your social media channels are just expanded opportunities for your brand\u2019s voice, content, and interactions. A new customer may stumble upon your Instagram feed if they\u2019re an avid Instagram user or a customer might be more likely to become a repeat purchaser if your online brand presence becomes more consistent and recognizable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Customer Loyalty<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Brands are placing a bigger emphasis on customer experience because of the impact it has on reputation. Brands who engage on social media channels receive higher loyalty from their customers. More than 50% of Americans who follow their favorite brands on social media are more loyal customers than those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Conversion<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Every post, ad, follower, blog post, and email is an opportunity for customers to convert. Whether you\u2019re a B2C or B2B company, social media can be a very effective tool for gaining new leads and moving people through your sales funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Humanization<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Faceless corporations are a thing of the past. These days, consumers care not only about what they buy, but also the type of company they\u2019re buying from. Social Media has a 100% higher lead to close rate than outbound marketing. With this advantage, you can practice rapid response to build a connection with a customer, rather than putting them through the automatic recording steps via telephone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. Customer Insights<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Have you practiced social listening? Social media allows you to gain valuable insights about your customers\u2019 interests and behaviors. Check out reviews or comments to see what people think of your business. Look at engagement rates on each social media post to measure what types of content generates the most interest. Track conversions through your purchase or lead ads to find out what type of audience benefits the best from your product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. Customer Service<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              The best place for customer care lies on social media. Before brands got involved, it was created solely for communication, and that is still its core foundation. Customer interactions allow for the public opportunity to make complaints right. It\u2019s also a place to enhance your relationship with them further by following them back, recommending additional products, and creating an open line of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1. Inbound Traffic<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                Last but not least, the reason that is most likely to lead to ROI: increased inbound traffic. Without social media, your leads are limited to people who are familiar with your brand and people who find you by searching ranked keywords. By increasing your social media content frequency and expanding your social media channel presence, you are adding another path back to your site. And as a result, you\u2019ll receive higher traffic, as well as more conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Social media is a long term approach, meaning, you won\u2019t be reaping these benefits overnight. But if you can effectively see why social media marketing is important, then get ready to dive into why creating a social media marketing strategy only enhances these benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Part II: Why You Need an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                So, what does this even mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                A social media marketing strategy outlines your business\u2019 goals and sets measurable objectives for the desired outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Now, what are the benefits? To illustrate this, each example will be accompanied by a real life example from one of LYFE Marketing\u2019s client\u2019s in the Home D\u00e9cor industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                1. Increases Awareness and Branding.<\/strong> You can find our client\u2019s presence on the top 4 most influential social media platforms. This gives the brand an opportunity to connect with various audiences and cross channel promote their content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                2. Increases Exposure to generate traffic, leads, and sales.<\/strong> Just by plugging in different demographics we\u2019ve learned from performing customer research (no, that secret hasn\u2019t been revealed yet, but read on), we can easily reach our desired audience to increase website traffic and new sales for our client!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                3. Reduces marketing costs.<\/strong> Since October 2017, our client has spent a little over 7.5K and received 225K in sales! This is 217K in profit! If you still aren\u2019t convinced, add Traditional Media is more costly than Social Media Advertising<\/a> to your reading list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                4. Improves Online Search Ranking<\/strong>. If you search the words, \u201ccheap drapes,\u201d you can find our client on the first page of the Google search. Your audience rarely goes past the second page. It\u2019s important to publish relevant content and have a link-worthy site to see your website rise to the top of search-engine results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                5. Develops Loyal Fans.<\/strong> Creating customer loyalty means developing long-term relationships with your fans. This relationship fosters the spread of social proof (read 5 star reviews) and repeat customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                6. Grows Customer Base.<\/strong> Satisfied customers are one thing, but satisfied NEW customers are every business\u2019 dream! Check out these product shots to see for yourself! Pro Tip: share these pictures on your social media channels to build social proof (see above) and customer appreciation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                (if you\u2019ve caught on quickly, the benefits of a social media marketing strategy are one in the same as to why social media marketing is important)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                However, the MAJOR key to success in the importance of social media marketing strategies is to make sure your strategy is actionable<\/em>. The best strategies involve understanding your customers, how to develop content to create meaningful conversations with them, and what platforms allow conversions to flow effortlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                And creating an actionable social media marketing strategy is exactly what Part III is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Part III: How to Develop Your Social Media Marketing Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Before a few years ago, you could get away with building a social media marketing strategy on a whim. But with 30% of people saying they engage with brands on social at least once a month, purely existing isn\u2019t going to cut it anymore. If you\u2019re not fully engaged and emerged in accomplishing the goals set in your strategy, there will be serious effects on your desired results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Learn what an effective social media marketing strategy should include, and follow our plan for creating your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Step 1<\/strong>: Create Social Media Marketing Objectives and Goals<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                The first step is to establish the goals and objectives you want to achieve. A key component of setting effective goals is determining what metrics you\u2019ll use to measure them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Are you looking for purchases or leads? Or likes and retweets or followers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                You should use the acronym S.M.A.R.T when setting these goals. Each objective is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                An example of this from our Home D\u00e9cor client above would be: \u201cFor Instagram we will share client photos that showcase our products in real homes. We will do this by posting three client photos a week. The target for each is at least 50 likes and 5 comments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Step 2<\/strong>: Conduct a Current Social Media Audit<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cYou can\u2019t know where you\u2019re going until you know where you\u2019ve been.\u201d Take a look at where you are and consider a few points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n