Marketing goes to the people, not vice versa. This is a fact that has stood the test of time, and will continue to do so. Where TV was once a mass media marketing tool, we now have social media, but why? There are currently 45 million social media users in the UK, which is a whopping 66% of the population, and this number is only increasing. On the other hand the number of those who watch TV, excluding streaming services, is dropping considerably. Simply put, marketers are exponentially spending more on Social Media and less on TV advertisement, so that they get ‘to the right people.’
What does Social Media Marketing have to offer?
Apart from an incredibly large audience, Social Media Marketing offers marketeers a plethora of benefits. The ability to tailor your marketing to your target demographic makes Social Media Marketing a unique and cost-effective marketing tool. Paid advertisement tools allow you to target individuals directly to their phones, tablets and laptops. Previously marketeers would look at trends to establish where best to market their products, i.e., more young people watch this programme I will advertise ‘x’ product here. However, social media allows you to develop a marketing strategy based on more than simply age or location, but of interests, professions, previous interactions with your website and much more.
Additionally, Social Media Marketing can allows you to determine the success of each individual customer touch points. Social Media Marketing allows you to map the journey of the customer from engagement with your marketing, through likes or shares, to clicking on links to your website, all the way to purchasing. This allows you to determine whether your marketing is driving engagement or sales, allowing you to adapt your strategy to achieve your goals.
Can social media sell your product or services?
Social media used to be thought as a tool used only to engage with potential customers and direct those customers to their website where they would finalise their purchase. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in product selling options for businesses on social media platforms. Why is this an option? In a similar sense to you realising what your customers want, Facebook realised what its customers wanted. Marketers have made their customers buying journey that much easier through tools such as Facebook Marketplace or shops on their own Facebook pages. The whole buying process can now be achieved through Facebook, from making customers recognize they need your product, to researching information regarding the product and subsequently purchasing the product. Customers are more likely purchase products if the effort needed to purchase said product is lower. Social media allows marketers to provide their customers with a low effort buying process, and consequently a higher likelihood of their products being purchased.
