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Social media marketing has taken over the world of advertising, with the number of people on social media expected to grow from 3.6 billion to 4.4 billion in the years 2020 - 2025. So, in essence, over half of the world (yep, the entire world!) is expected to be scrolling through social feeds in just a few years.
In addition to this, video ad spending is set to grow by20.1% to $24.35 billion throughout 2022. This is in large part due to the continued rise of TikTok, Instagram Stories and Reels.
As they say, numbers don't lie, so it's safe to say that social media marketing will continue to be a great tool for growing brand awareness and business revenue. With that in mind, let's unpack everything you need to know about this powerful tool and how it can be used to grow your business and supplement your wider digital marketing efforts.
Social media marketing (often shortened to SMM) refers to the process of creating content that is published on social media platforms to advertise products and services. However, with its widespread usage and interconnectedness with the internet, social media can also be used to build a community online and drive traffic to websites. And with new features and platforms springing up day-by-day, this widespread usage of social media and its value in driving revenue is only set to grow.
Due to its global adoption, there is a range of management tools to help businesses get the most out of social media platforms. In addition to these tools, there is also a range of social media marketing agencies that function to fulfil the same purpose. Companies can choose fromTwitter marketing agencies, TikTok marketing agencies, Snapchat marketing agencies and all the other platforms you can think of. You name it, and there’s an agency for it. And rightfully so, although they may share some similar features, all social media platforms are unique and so require different methods and techniques to maximise potential.
But what is a social media marketing agency, and what exactly do they do?
A social media marketing agency (or SMMA) is a creative agency that uses paid advertising or organic content production to generate results on social media platforms. These advertisements and pieces of content will usually be part of a wider campaign that is designed around a specific goal and target audience. Social media marketing agencies (such as ourselves)will use three main elements to achieve success, these include strategy, content and tracking/analytics.
To achieve results for their clients, agencies offer a range of services that include:
With fierce competition these days, it's not enough to just be on social media. To get consistent results, you have to leverage social media platforms. This involves time, effort and resources. Don't worry, there are some key steps you can take to boost your chances of success irrespective of the platform you choose. These include:
Lead generation on social media is the key to getting the most out of any platform. Generating leads and collecting contact information will not only help you to identify people interested in your business but will also help you keep in touch with potential customers to share news or offers.
Here are some key steps you can take to generate more leads on social media:
Social media has quickly become the most valuable and influential space in the digital world, with platforms used for networking and advertising.
Social media has risen to power due to the fact businesses can reach a large number of people within seconds of posting an ad or a piece of content. What's more, this can be done at much lower costs when compared to more traditional advertising methods.
With nearly 60% of the world’s population on social media, ensuring you leverage the power of social platforms is an integral part of achieving business success in this new digital age.
Below we delve into some examples of businesses that have achieved this, making effective use of social platforms.
Back in 2013, Mercedes Benz took to Instagram to promote their new addition to the fleet: the ‘CLA’. The campaign involved Mercedes hiring five top Instagram photographers (who also doubled up as influencers) to take the wheel of a new CLA. Whoever received the most likes for their posts got to keep the car.
The campaign achieved:
After discovering that 80% of women came across negative conversations on social media, Dove decided to make social media a more positive experience for all and in particular for women. Dove partnered with Twitter and built a tool to launch their #SpeakBeautiul effect - the tool broke down which negative body-related words people use most online and when which would then be used to help combat negativity on social media.
The campaign achieved:
To promote the Puma brand, the company partnered up with digital marketing agency LOOP to decipher how to use social media to gain optimum engagement for their next campaign.
As a company that has close connections with various A-list celebrities, Puma decided to leverage these relationships and teamed up with Usain bolt to promote the brand through a series of posts and promotional clips.
The campaign achieved:
With an ever-increasing variety of social media platforms available, it begs the question of which ones are the best for marketing a business.
Some of the most popular social media platforms include:
However, due to unique features and audiences, there’s no single platform suited for all businesses. Based on this statement, it would be reasonable to assume that businesses should market on all platforms. While this may work for some organisations, this isn’t necessarily the right approach for businesses.
In terms of establishing which social media platform is best for your business and brand, your best bet is to take the time to research your customer base to see what platforms they're using and the types of brands they’re engaging with. For instance, a business seeking to appeal to millennials should be using Instagram as this is a popular platform amongst this age group. Alternatively, B2B and corporate businesses will find more success using a platform like LinkedIn.
Whether you’re looking to market on one platform or several, you can rest assured that social media marketing will boost your brand awareness and contribute to your overall marketing success.
To discuss your social media marketing further, please leave an enquiry here or head over to our social media marketing page to learn more about the services we offer.
