Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. Instagram. Snapchat. Social media has essentially taken over the world. By hitting the word “post”, or “tweeting” something, you’ve sent out information on a global scale. We never really think of social media in such grand magnitude, but it has for sure gone global. It has quickly become a staple for people of all ages to partake in this new way of society. Even the businesses and corporations we see every day have taken to their tablets and laptops to jump on the social media train. There are quite a few businesses out there that don’t really see the hype behind the social media world. So the real question remains; Just how valuable is social media to a business?
The simple answer? Very important. There is a lot more that goes into the viral and online marketing structure of social media than just posting and liking away at whatever you see. Some might even say that there is a science behind it all. California-based business, ProMediaAuthority, knows just how well the social media outlets can help businesses flourish. ProMediaAuthority’s Andrew Stangl was quoted saying, “The benefits of using social media for businesses are very clear. Not only have the benefits been proven, but not using social media may actually harm a business. Since the search engines place such a high trust factor on social media sites, it is important to include these in any online marketing campaign.”
One aspect of legitimization that many companies try to stay on top of is SEO or Search Engine Optimization. SEO is basically making sure that when searched on any search engine, your company pops up on or as close to the front page as possible. It has quickly become a proven fact that social media outlets help with search engine results, thus making your company’s brand awareness rise.
Speaking of brand awareness, Stangl had his own comments on brand awareness advancement through social media. He was quoted saying, “As soon as a business becomes involved in social media, they will start to build their brand awareness among their customers. Brand awareness is one of the most important components and results of good marketing. Not just that, but social media also allows a brand to be legitimized. People frequently check out a social media page before they decide whether or not to approach a particular business.”
Take a moment to think about how the one-on-one interactions between consumer and producer works. Normally, a company without any social media outlets won’t be as involved with customer relations as one with a social media page would be. If said company is involved with customer relations, responses more than likely won’t be as quick as they would be for the company with the social media page. Take Facebook for example. Companies as large as Ford, GE, and even Macy’s are more responsive to customers via their respective Facebook pages. The businesses themselves can have group discussions with their consumers to see what the company is doing right and what the company is doing wrong, all from the customer’s perspective. This type of interaction with customers gives the companies a bit more personality, thus coming off as more accessible to consumers.
The ability for something to become viral over social media is quite easy these days. Only a few years ago, the idea was to have a video become viral on YouTube. Since Facebook and Twitter now have video share options, it has become much more feasible for a video or concept to go viral. It can almost be seen as free marketing. Any time a post or tweet is shared, the reach to a larger audience only grows. If a company were to share a concept or unveil an upcoming product, not only do they have the large reach of their page built in, but they also gain added reach through every single share or retweet that it gets.
Online marketing and search engine optimization will always remain a top priority for businesses, and through the help of social media, these priorities can become goals that are easier to achieve. Any new and emerging companies would be wise to set up their social media accounts! After all, those Facebook numbers don’t lie!
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