20 Benefits of Social Media Marketing That You Should Leverage

If you're unfamiliar with Social Media Marketing (SMM), be sure to read our beginner's guide to social media marketing before continuing on. Here, we'll cover the most important benefits of social media marketing for your brand. Without further ado, let’s reveal how to leverage SMM to your advantage.

1. Free to Use

The first benefit of SMM is that it's free to get started. Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram all give you the opportunity to create free accounts you can set up with minimal effort. You don't need any technical knowledge to get things going. There are no fees or long-term commitments, either. You can use free accounts to start building your brand, gathering followers, and engaging with customers immediately.

"Organic growth" is the act of growing your following without paid promotions. It can be a slow process, but it's effective if done right. It results in a higher quality of following since your followers are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

2. Improving Brand Awareness

You can use social media to create brand awareness for your business. Since 81% of customers prefer to buy from brands that they are familiar with, building brand awareness is essential. A similar figure (77%) prefers to buy from brands they follow on social media.

Brand awareness on social media is all about creating content that points back to your business and products. Think of social media as a virtual billboard that you can use to get the word out about your brand. The more eyes see it, the greater the chance people will remember you when they need what you offer.

Add your logo, colors, and theme to your social media pages. They will help you create a recognizable brand identity for all platforms and channels. Most platforms have profile pictures, header images, and posts you can customize with your branding.

And for special occasions, you can even switch it up sometimes to match a theme.

3. Gaining Invaluable Insights

We all know that data is important, but it's even more valuable when you can use it to build an effective marketing plan. Social media gives you access to essential data such as your followers' demographics, interests, and behaviors. It'll help you craft better buyer personas and create content that resonates with your target audience.

You can also use the data to monitor trends, measure performance, and adjust campaigns as needed. It's easy to track engagement rates across platforms and test different strategies until you find one that works best for your brand.

Some platforms also offer sentiment analysis tools. These will help you uncover customer sentiment toward your brand and products. Knowing how people feel about you is essential for improving customer service and maintaining good relationships with them.

4. Driving Website Traffic

Naturally, driving website traffic is one of the main goals of any marketing strategy. After all, your website is where people will learn more and hopefully transact with you. Social media can be a great source of traffic for your website.

For instance, you can strategically place links in your bio, posts, or tweets. You can also set up contests and giveaways that require participants to visit your website. Teasing upcoming products or services on social media tends to be an effective way to get people curious and onto your website.

Platforms like Instagram and Facebook also offer call-to-action options that you can use to prompt users to visit your website.

5. Supports SEO Efforts

Social media might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about search engine optimization (SEO), but it can be an effective tool for boosting your rankings. In fact, SEO is split into three main categories: on-page, technical, and off-page SEO. Social media can help with the last.

It involves link building, which is the process of getting other websites to link to yours. This is one of the most important factors in ranking on search engines. You can use social media to promote your blog posts and other pages, so search engines can pick them up and recognize them as positive signals. Ensure to provide context and make your posts interesting and informative instead of just posting random links.

6. Creating Professional Connections

It's crucial to remember that social media is, first and foremost, a platform for communication and networking. It might seem more straightforward to network on platforms like LinkedIn, where connecting with professionals in your industry is more accessible. But don't underestimate the power of other social networks when it comes to connection-making.

You can join relevant groups, follow thought leaders, and comment on their posts to start conversations. Over time, you'll be able to build valuable relationships that can turn into collaborations and partnerships.

Social media is an excellent tool for connecting with customers, partners, influencers, and potential employees. Whether you're looking to break into the industry or expand your reach.

7. Enables Repurposing

You can save time and money by repurposing content across platforms. Repurposing simply means taking existing content and adapting it for another medium or format. You can take a blog post and create an infographic summarizing the key points. Then, post the infographic on social media to draw attention to your blog post.

You can also turn video content into podcasts, podcasts into blog posts, and more. The possibilities are endless. Repurposing content is an effective way to get the most out of your resources without starting from scratch each time.

Keep in mind that different platforms require different types of content. For instance, Twitter is a great platform for short text snippets, while Instagram is ideal for visually engaging images and videos. You can use the same content on both platforms, but you might need to modify the format slightly.

8. Accelerating Growth with Paid Ads

Once you get the hang of organic social media marketing, you might consider taking your strategies to the next level with paid advertising. With a few clicks of a button, you can create ads that target certain audiences and show up in their news feed. Promoted posts are a great way to boost visibility and draw more attention to your brand.

You can use social media ads to specifically reach your followers or new audiences that may not already be familiar with your brand. Use the platforms' targeting features to narrow down who should see your ads based on factors like age, location, and interests. All it then takes are your creatives, copy, and a set budget, and you’re ready to track your progress in real-time.

9. Incentivizing Sharing

Word-of-mouth is still one of the most powerful tactics you can use to promote your brand. Unfortunately, it's no secret that people are becoming somewhat lazy when sharing content. If a friend wanted to recommend a product they found in a physical store, they would have to snap a picture and send it to you via text message.

Social media makes it much simpler for people to share content with their friends. An embedded share button usually takes a click to use. How can you further incentivize people to share your content? One way is to simply tell your audience to do so. It can be as simple as an "If you know someone who would find this helpful, remember to share it" or "Tag a person who feels the same way." You can do the same for engagement, "If you liked this video/post, give it a like".

It doesn't always have to be complicated, which goes for any format you use.

Here are a few simple examples:

• In videos, you can say or display it
• In carousel posts, you can use the last slide just for engagement purposes.
• In classic image posts, you can put it at the end of your text caption

Other ways include providing giveaways, discount coupons, challenges, and certain hashtags your users can use to share your content and products in exchange (for a chance) to get something in return.

10. Staying Ahead of the Competition

Next to tracking your progress, it's also crucial to keep an eye on the competition. You can use social media to see what strategies they're using and what content is resonating with their audience. It will help you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and give you some ideas to use in your own campaigns.

Avoiding their downfalls and capitalizing on their successes can give you the edge in an ever-changing and increasingly competitive landscape. You can also see product launches and customer feedback in real time, which can be valuable for staying ahead of the industry.

11. Showcasing Social Proof

Creating a social media account is so easy that anyone can do it. That proved to be a double-edged sword, as it allows scammers to create fake accounts and trick unsuspecting users. That's why many people turn to social proof for assurance when deciding whether or not a product is worth buying.

Social proof can be anything from customer reviews and testimonials to case studies and success stories. You can use these pieces of content to build trust and give potential customers the confidence they need to make a purchase. User-generated content (UGC) is also a great way to showcase social proof. By sharing photos of customers using your product or service, you create an atmosphere of trust and prove that your brand is reliable.

It can also strengthen the backing of your brand. A good example of this is Coca Cola, which repeatedly involves its global community.

12. Building Your Brand’s Authority & Influence

With consistency and dedication, you can use social media to help establish your brand as an industry leader. Offer helpful advice and answer common questions from customers. Take advantage of trends in the market by talking about them and offering solutions. That will show your audience that you're knowledgeable and passionate about your work.

They will likely come to you first when they need information on a related topic. That should only serve to further your trustworthiness and create an even larger audience for you to market to. You can also collaborate with experts and other content creators to reach a wider audience and generate more leads.

13. Aligning with Influencers

Partnering with influencers is one of the most effective ways to get your content in front of a large, engaged audience. Influencers have built up their own followings by providing valuable advice and creating helpful content. By aligning yourself with them, you can tap into that audience and increase your reach.

There are many types of influencers, from micro-influencers with a few hundred followers to celebrities with millions of followers. Both can be beneficial for spreading your message and driving more traffic to your website. Make sure you choose an influencer who aligns with your brand's values and target audience, making the collaboration more effective in the long run.

14. Generating Leads

Social media is great for generating leads for your business. You can create relevant content that will capture the attention of potential customers already in the market for a product or service like yours. This type of lead generation is much more effective than traditional methods because you're targeting people who have already expressed an interest in what you're offering.

You can also use this tactic to grow your email list by offering exclusive content or discounts in exchange for an email address. This will allow you to stay connected with these potential customers and ensure they don't forget about your brand.

15. Delivering Exceptional Customer Service

Many companies now use social media as a tool for customer service. If a customer has a question or concern, they can easily reach out to you on your social media accounts and get an answer quickly. This level of responsiveness will create a positive customer experience and set expectations for future interactions.

You can invite them to send you a direct message (DM) on Instagram or mention you (@) on Twitter for a quick response. Compared to waiting for an email or taking time out of their day to be put on hold during a phone call, this can be a convenient way to receive help from your business.

16. Sparks a Dialogue around Your Brand

Social media is also a good platform for sparking meaningful conversations about your brand. You can ask questions or conduct polls to get feedback from your customers and learn what they really think about your products or services. Asking open-ended questions can lead to insights you wouldn't get otherwise.

On some platforms, more conversation about your brand results in favoritism from the platform's algorithms. More people will see your content, and you can reach a wider audience than ever before.

17. Forming Closer Relationships with Storytelling

Everybody loves a good story – and social media is the perfect place for you to tell yours. People enjoy relatable and authentic stories because they evoke emotions. You can use videos or images to tell a story in a way that's engaging and inspiring.

This forms a closer connection and builds trust, making people more likely to buy from you than from someone else.

Creating stories about your brand can showcase who you are, what you stand for, and your unique selling points. From behind-the-scenes insights to customer testimonials, you can bring your brand's story to life on social media in many ways.

18. Going Viral

Every marketer dreams of having a campaign go viral. Going viral means that potentially millions of people have seen, shared, and talked about your content. Of course, it can also mean an influx of traffic and leads to your business. Still, going viral shouldn't be the sole focus of your social media strategy.

It is an unpredictable phenomenon that combines luck and timing with creativity. Keep creating authentic, valuable content that resonates with your audience, and you may just be rewarded with a viral post.

19. Strengthens Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is defined as the likelihood that a customer will keep buying from your business over time. SMM can help you strengthen your customer relationships by providing a platform for ongoing engagement. You can use it to show appreciation for customers, offer exclusive deals, and help them with any issues they may have.

Just take Instagram, for example. You become a follower of a company and receive updates, offers, and promotions. Are you more likely to buy a product from them or a faceless competitor?

20. Humanizing Your Brand

Finally, social media allows you to humanize your brand. People are more likely to trust a business when they can see the people who work for it. You can share employee profiles, introduce company leaders, and show off any fun activities you may do as a team. It gives a voice to your brand and helps you connect with people on a more personal level.

You now have a social media account, just like any other person. Simply having a website or store doesn't make you approachable like a social media profile can.

Using All Benefits of Social Media Effectively

These are just a few of the many benefits of social media marketing for your brand. From increasing traffic to strengthening customer relationships, there are plenty of ways in which leveraging social media can help you reach your business goals.

You can gain even more benefits by using social media management tools. These software solutions can help you automate processes, monitor analytics, and get the most out of your social media presence without having to switch between all your accounts. Visit our Best Picks to discover the best social media management tools and start utilizing the benefits of social media to its fullest.