To many people, social media has become a term associated with transient exposure – five minutes of fame or a fleeting spell in the spotlight.  It seems the medium of social media has become synonymous with a quick yet temporary boost to a business’ brand.

One the main reasons for this is the manner in which social media platforms exploded into the public consciousness.  Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Facebook and Twitter attracted huge amounts of popularity in a tiny amount of time – leading many to believe that they were passing fads that would soon be forgotten by the masses.

This, however, could not be further from the truth.  Facebook, Twitter and, more recently, Google+ have gone from strength to strength, attracting more users with every passing second.  What this means for the general population is an easy way to contact their friends and share photos.  What this means for marketers is a massive opportunity.

Social media provides a forum for marketing that is almost unparalleled, and is certainly the most widely exploitable.  Unlike other marketing channels such as television and broadcasting, social media is hugely inexpensive and can have as much, if not more, of an impact.

Here are the top ten things that you stand to gain from running a successful social media campaign:

Lower Marketing Costs

When you’re talking business, you’ve got to think about the cost and benefit of everything you put your time into.  This is especially true in the case of small businesses with a limited workforce and a smaller budget.  With as little as six hours per week invested into your social media presence, you can see a huge increase in the amount of traffic that you generate.  You may want to allocate a small budget to go towards promoting your brand on Facebook and Twitter, but even these fees are relatively inexpensive when compared to the returns that you can expect to see.

More Brand Awareness

Every time that somebody sees your brand, your company benefits.  The more familiar people are with your brand, the more likely they are to trust you when they are deciding between you and a competitor.  By running a coordinated social media campaign, you will be able to increase your exposure to your target audience and you will give them an easy way to follow your developments.

Some of the most recognised brands worldwide are well-established on Twitter.

More Loyalty From Customers

This increase in brand awareness will also have the added benefit of allowing people to interact directly with your company.  This added engagement will increase the likelihood that your customers keep returning to you, instead of going elsewhere.  A study carried out by Texas Tech University stated that:

“Companies should take advantage of the tools social media gives them when it comes to connecting with their audience. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing consumers into being brand loyal.”

More Chances To Capitalise

On social media, you are creating a new opportunity for conversions every time you make a post.  Every time somebody clicks on something that you have shared, there is a chance for you to convert that person into a customer.  This does not mean that you will gain customers at every click but, considering how little it takes to post a blog or a video, it gives you a great way of making new customers.

Make Your Brand More Human

One of the biggest advantages of social media is that it allows your brand to become “humanised”.  As social media is a forum upon which people go to interact with other people, your brand can mimic this in the way that you make posts and talk to potential customers.  After all, people prefer to engage with other people than with businesses.

John Lewis are experts making their brand seem personal and relatable via social media

It also gives your brand the chance to build its credibility.  The more followers you have on a social media platform, the more likely it is that users will view your brand as a trustworthy and reliable entity.

Higher Traffic

If you are not using social media to bring in traffic, your visitors will be limited to those who are either already aware of your brand or those who are typing in search terms that you rank for.  By using social media you can increase the avenues through which a potential customer may stumble across you and your site.  If you produce high quality content on social media, you will definitely increase your traffic.  The more traffic you get, the more conversions you will inevitably have.

Higher SERPs Results

Google and other search engines take your social media presence into account when they rank your website.  This means that not only will having a social media presence increase the amount of traffic that you bring in through those platforms, but it will also increase you organic traffic through the methods that you are already using.  In fact, if you are not doing this, you will almost certainly be losing out to competitors that are.

Visible Customer Service

Social media allows you to interact with your customers in a way that no other medium can.  The public nature of social media means that if someone makes a complaint via Twitter, you can publicly address the issue instantly.  This allows other users to see that you are a company that takes its customers’ views seriously and will always seek to help rectify an issue as quickly as possible.  It also gives your satisfied customers a way to praise you that other potential customers can see.

Twitter gives you the chance to prove that you care about your customers

Insights Into Your Audience

With social media pages comes the added benefit of insights into the demographic that you are reaching.  You can identify which posts have resonated the most successfully and which have not done as well.  You can then use this information to refine your future posts and business decisions, knowing that you are making an informed decision.

Facebook allows you to see which demographics you are connecting with the most.

Still not convinced?

If these benefits still aren’t enough to convince you that you need a social media presence, then let’s think about the negatives that not having one will bring.

Your Competitors Are Doing It

It is almost without doubt that your competitors are already involved in social media plans of their own.  This means that they could be attracting many customers that could be yours.

Social Media is Here to Stay

No matter what you might think, social media is not going anywhere.  It is not a passing fad and it is only going to become a more prominent force in the world of marketing.  The longer you take to accept that, the harder it will be to establish yourself next to brands that got in ahead of you.

You Have Nothing to Lose

The biggest reason that you should not fear getting involved with social media is that it won’t have a negative effect – there is no catch.  It is inexpensive and easy to do.  The worst case scenario is that your campaign never gains any traction, but that can be easily avoided if you approach the project with a real strategy.

If you’re interested in starting a social media campaign but don’t know where to begin, or if you have one but don’t feel it’s working, then check out our guide to social media campaigns for some top tips on how to turn it around.

What are your experiences with social media? Has helped your company? Or do you think it’s a waste of time? Let us know by commenting below!