Social Media is comprised of online applications, platforms, and media that allow users to interact, connect, and contribute. It enables a two-way dialogue and orientates the Internet around users. Social Media Marketing (SMM) utilizes social networking and user-generated content (UGC) platforms to promote a product, service or content. It involves creating and participating in a dialogue with your target audience, rather than forcing an advertisement upon them. SMM can also include creating and promoting viral content that is meant to be shared by users.
As the prevalence of social media continues to rise, organizations of all types and sizes are recognizing the ways in which social media can help them better understand, respond to, and attract the attention of their target audience. Outlined below are the benefits companies can achieve with an effective social media strategy:
- Faster Message Delivery – Social Media enables more rapid sharing of information.
- Improve Branding – Social Media is a highly useful tool for enhancing both brand awareness and brand image.
- Boost Impact of other Marketing Initiatives – Social Media has proven its ability to significantly compliment SEO initiatives.
- Natural Link Building – Not only will your website acquire natural links, your website will be exposed to large groups of people in a spontaneous fashion.
- Lower Cost with High Returns- The cost-per-thousand impressions of a SMM campaign, as well as internet marketing campaigns in general, are lower than almost any other traditional marketing/advertising campaign you will undertake.
- Better Search Engine Rankings – The increase in natural and permanent links achieved by an SMM campaign are recognized by Google and other search engines therefore; increasing website rankings for targeted keyphrases and an increase in traffic from the search engines.
- Primary and Secondary Traffic – Primary traffic is the number of visitors who come directly from social media websites. Secondary traffic occurs when a primary traffic visitor likes your content and posts a link to it in their blog, Twitter account, StumbleUpon etc, resulting in additional traffic to your website. This cycle is repeated enabling the content to spread virally through the Internet.
- Increased Community Support – A social media campaign will provide added visibility for your site; exposing it to many people who have never visited it before. At least a portion of these individuals will subscribe and return further increasing the community around your site. Many of them will also pass your site along to friends, creating a secondary wave of traffic and further increasing your community.
