There are over four billion users of social media worldwide, and the number of consumers spend 15% of their time on social media platforms.
Social media marketing is a powerful platform for maintaining and building awareness, but it comes with challenges that require careful execution and planning.
According to 69% of marketers, brand awareness remains a top priority, while 52% prioritize increasing web traffic.
Primary Goal of Marketers on Social Media
In this blog, we will discover how social media marketing effectively enhances brand awareness, including its benefits and drawbacks, and how to address these challenges with a robust brand strategy.
What is Social Media Marketing?
It is a social media platform that helps connect with relevant audiences to build a brand, drive traffic to websites, and increase sales.
Social media marketing (SMM) involves publishing content on social media profiles, engaging followers, analyzing results as well as running advertisements on social media. Some of the major social media platforms at the moment are essential for any successful social media campaign, such as
- Youtube
For instance, If you come with the launch of a new product and service and plan to promote it on social media that’s social media marketing.
But, this form of marketing will require the use of social media management tools and skills, to prepare other aspects of marketing strategy. To understand how SMM is effective for brand awareness, first understand its benefits and challenges which are listed below.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing
There are various reasons why you should use SMM. Let’s explore some of the beneficial reasons to consider this-
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Increase Brand Awareness-
Social media boosts brand awareness which helps in driving engagement, including things such as reposts, saves, and shares.
On the other hand, it also helps in increasing brand awareness by directing traffic to the site. To effectively utilize social media advertising, make sure to incorporate relevant links to websites and offers in your posts, bio, and profile.
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Boost conversions and leads-
Sharing and promoting the product on social media is a great way to boost conversions, increase sales, and improve lead generation to advertise to people who have opted to engage with your account. Some examples of generating more leads through SMM are-
– Include offers in your profiles and bio section.
– To announce new services and products, host live videos to update news and details about your company.
– To boost conversion, create contests for your followers and visitors on social media profiles.
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Helps in fostering relationships-
Connecting with your followers on social media can build long-lasting relationships between them and the business.
Engaging with users through interactions on posts, responding to their inquiries, and providing assistance regarding any service or product can be effectively incorporated into a social media campaign.
This approach fosters meaningful connections with the audience, builds trust, and encourages further engagement with the brand.
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Drive Traffic to your site-
SMM significantly boosts website traffic by leveraging engaging content that resonates with target audiences. By consistently sharing links and interactive posts, you can direct a larger audience to websites, increasing visibility and potential conversions through strategic, tailored content delivery.
Challenges of Social Media Marketing
Some of the prominent challenges of SMM are listed below-
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Maintaining Consistency-
Maintaining frequent and consistent postings can be challenging, especially for smaller teams or solo marketers. Regular updates are crucial to keep the audience engaged.
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Handling Negative Feedback-
Social media exposes your business to public examination. Negative comments and reviews can damage your brand’s reputation if not managed properly.
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Time-Consuming-
Creating unique, engaging content and interacting with followers can be incredibly time-consuming, which might divert attention from other critical business operations.
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Adapting to Platform Changes-
Social media and marketing platforms frequently update their algorithms and policies, which can affect how your content is viewed and shared. Staying updated with these changes requires continuous learning and strategy adjustments.
How is Social Media Marketing Effective for Brand Awareness?
After understanding SMM, its benefits, and challenges, let’s explore how it can help in brand awareness and engagement.
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Global Reach-
Social media platforms connect millions and billions of users globally, allowing brands to reach a vast audience quickly. By maintaining active social media profiles and utilizing social media advertising, you can increase visibility among potential customers across different regions and demographics.
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Targeted Advertising-
Social media offers advanced targeting options, such as interests, location, and demographics, helping brands to deliver content directly to the ideal customer group. This helps in increasing the likelihood of attracting genuinely interested users and converting them into followers or customers.
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Engagement-
Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter enable direct communication and interaction with audiences through likes, comments, and shares. This engagement not only spreads brand messages but also builds relationships and loyalty, which is crucial for brand awareness.
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Cost-Effectiveness-
Compared to traditional advertising methods, SMM is often more affordable and offers a better return on investment (ROI). Even small businesses can also take advantage of social media effectively by creating compelling content that resonates with the audience without a huge budget.
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Real-Time Results-
Social media platforms provide immediate feedback and data on how content is performing. With the help of social media marketing services, you can see how many people viewed, liked, or shared their posts, allowing them to quickly adjust their strategies and improve their approach to increase brand awareness effectively.
Future Trends in Social Media Marketing in 2024
Here are five future trends in social media marketing to shape how brands can increase their awareness-
1. AR Experiences
Today brands are expected to increasingly use augmented reality experiences, as it helps in creating more immersive and interactive experiences directly through social media platforms. This could include virtual try-ons, interactive ads, or unique filters, enhancing engagement and making brand interactions more memorable.
2. Give more importance to video content-
Short-form videos will continue to dominate social media platforms like Instagram, have already shown the effectiveness of this format, and other platforms are following suit.
This type of content emphasizes storytelling through video to capture the audience’s attention and convey brand messages very quickly, making it a cornerstone of digital marketing.
3. Social Commerce-
More social media and marketing platforms will integrate shopping features, turning social networks into shopping platforms.
This trend allows users to make purchases directly through social media, reducing the steps to conversion and making brand products more accessible as part of the social media experience.
4. Authenticity-
Today every consumer is increasingly valuing brands that demonstrate commitment to sustainability and authenticity.
Social media will be used not only to promote products but also to highlight corporate social responsibility efforts, ethical practices, and behind-the-scenes processes that align with these values. This will help you to increase your brand awareness and value in the marketplace.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, SMM has become a powerful tool for boosting leads and brand awareness. Social media platforms’ unique features and vast user base offer an opportunity to connect and engage with targeted audiences in a personalized way.
By strategically utilizing tools such as targeted ads, interactive content, and analytics, businesses can effectively reach out to potential customers and build lasting relationships.
Additionally, these platforms provide valuable insights into customer preferences and behavior, which can help refine marketing strategies and increase ROI.
Scrum Digital can assist you in employing these capabilities to significantly enhance your brand awareness and market presence.
