Ever since they first started picking up some mainstream steam, it was pretty clear that social media sites will cast a very long shadow over the modern, digitally dominated zeitgeist. These promises were definitely fulfilled, and these days 59% of the human population uses social media spending, on average, 2 hours and 29 minutes on some of these platforms.
So, there is no arguing that social media present a tremendous social force. Being such, it is only natural that social media will dominate the marketing arena as well. In this regard, social media arguably proved to be even more effective than in forming the social narrative changing the marketing landscape forever.
Let’s see a couple of examples of this transition.
Leveling the marketing playing field
Ever since its inception, social media sets itself up as a forum where virtually anyone with enough skill and patience has a platform for reaching out to people and reaching worldwide fame. The same rules apply when we move to the marketing side of the story as well. By leveling the playing field and offering a free resource for customer engagement social media gave companies of all scales and sizes an equal fighting chance which changed the marketing dynamic and save countless SMBs from termination.
Increasing the brand visibility
Keeping everything we have said above in mind, the small companies using social media outlets are not only capable of fending off the marketing initiatives from larger corporate entities but also expanding past their local market boundaries. According to recent research, approximately 4.2 billion people in the world have social media profiles. By 2027, that number will, most likely, rise to 6 billion. So, the brands in search of an audience have plenty of opportunities to do so and engage in branding efforts on an affordable global stage.
An effective tool for expansion
The goal of any successful company is to grow and expand out of the constraints of its local market. In order to do that, however, the expanding brands need to make some sort of foothold and spark the interest of new audiences. Social media has made this job incredibly easy. So, if you are, for instance, moving to Australia you can hire a professional social media agency from Sydney to perform the initial outreach and spark interest prior to launch. Basically, you have a built-in audience before you even open a store.
Higher level of transparency
Unlike other popular marketing channels, social media has one truly distinct advantage and that is that the communication going on there is effectively two-way. This covers both marketing and all associated activities like PR, customer care, etc. Now, some people may look at this as a detriment since any kind of blunder will be left open to the public eye. But, the audiences will also be able to witness how good some brands are at resolving these issues, so they can score easy PR points and improve reputability.
Built-in marketplace features
Ever since day one, social media websites were destined to become a very powerful marketing platform. It is really a surprise then that all these major brands took so much time to develop their own built-in eCommerce components. Be that as it may, the features like Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shop are finally here and they allow businesses to implement all steps of their sales funnels in only one place. These concepts allow companies to easily boost sales components without building their own platforms.
New fuel for data analytics
Running a successful marketing campaign and a company for that matter requires access to high-quality data proving insights into the habits and wishes of the end users. One of the greatest advantages of social media lies in the fact that these sites are not only a powerful platform where these strategies can be implemented but also an almost inexhaustible data source where they can learn about their clients. Of course, all these platforms come with very robust assets that allow businesses to leverage this perk.
Making FOMO a marketing force
If you are unable with the term, FOMO refers to a fear of missing out or an emotional response to the belief that other people are living better, more fulfilled lives. All this fear was always present in our society, the social media that offers the idealized and selected slices of other lives made this anxiety more relevant than ever. Businesses that are present on social media are in an excellent position to ramp up and relieve these emotions in a way that is really not possible through any other marketing channel.
We hope these few examples gave you an idea about the extent to which social media websites are completely dominating the marketing landscape and refocusing this business component around its unique quirks and necessities. It's also important to note that the relevance of social media shows no signs of slowing down. So, keep in mind everything we have a talk about social media will become an even larger digital marketing force.