Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Social media gives companies an avenue to communicate directly with their customers. Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms all provide ways for companies to increase their brand recognition and traffic.
Reaching Customers with Focused Campaigns through Social Media
Few other mediums let companies reach out to their customers as directly as social media. Companies can interact with groups of people on social media or with specific individuals without being intrusive. This heightened level of interaction makes the people, presumably either customers or prospective customers, feel valued. It builds trust between the company and the customer and creates a deepened sense of loyalty for both.
Social media also gives companies a platform for micro-targeted marketing campaigns. Semantic analysis programs help identify promising prospects, which marketers can then create specialized campaigns for. Semantic analysis monitors social media for buying signals such as keywords or specific questions posted on social media. Social media remains the medium through which these focused marketing messages are sent, while semantic analysis programs assist in designing the campaigns.
Everyone Benefits from Social Media Marketing
Social media is a vital aspect of any marketing strategy today, not just because it is an efficient way to reach a company’s most valuable customers but because it benefits customers and the company.
Companies benefit from targeted social media campaigns because it:
- Utilizes word-of-mouth marketing as people suggest content to their friends and peers
- It is an inexpensive form of marketing when compared to other types of advertising
- Lets marketers target specific groups of people or even specific individuals
- Increases brand awareness through native advertising
Customers benefit from social media campaigns because they:
- Receive targeted messages for them
- Feel closer to the brand
- Have immediate access to the brand
Managing Social Media Marketing
Social media has powerful marketing potential, but managing multiple platforms is not simple. Several tools help manage social media for companies, though. There are tools to monitor different platforms for brand mentions or keywords, schedule posts and manage calendars, and plan paid ad campaigns. What is best for your company will depend on your specific social media marketing needs and goals.
