Social media marketing is defined as the use of social platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, to strategically connect brands to audiences and market objectives. Although social media marketing emerged in the mid-2000s with the onset of social platforms like MySpace and later Facebook, it has changed the marketing world forever. Its real-time engagement strategy and precise targeting have allowed individual brands to reach millions of people to market their product or service. It is now ubiquitous in reaching consumers, engaging customers, and generating leads for brand visibility and engagement. Social media marketing continues to influence digital innovation and consumer behavior for companies in a variety of industries, demonstrated by information sharing and engagement lift via Twitter or Instagram, viral marketing approaches through Nike, or small businesses utilizing influencer marketing campaigns to scale their business.
In today's digital-first era, if your business isn't utilizing social media, you're missing one of the most powerful marketing channels that exists. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is more than just taking an image and posting it on your social feed; it is a method of building brand awareness, a way to engage your audience, a way to actually produce business results, and in many cases a combination of all three.
If you are a business in the startup phase or a well-established brand, understanding the basics of social media marketing can put you a step ahead of your competition. In this article, we'll discuss the meaning of SMM, the importance of SMM, and how to leverage it effectively for your business.
To put it simply, Social Media Marketing entails marketing/product promotion utilizing tomorrow's marketing mediums: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (this is OR was Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok to name a few examples.
There are many ways to participate or be used in SMM: content creation, engagement, paid promotion and advertising, and performance interpretation; however, it is mostly about building brand awareness, engagement, or simply stating your marketing and branding purpose.
It is more than just being "social" or about simply mirroring promotional posts. SMM is about effectively targeting your audience where they have already opted to be.
The impact of social media on consumer behavior is massive:
Social media marketing allows businesses to:
All in all, social media marketing provides a way for businesses to remain valuable and competitive in the digital age.
Having a plan behind the scenes for a social media campaign versus just knowing your presence is what is needed is a key component for a successful campaign. Here are the key areas to implement:
Here are a few vital tools every social media marketer should be aware of:
✅ Nike’s “You Can’t Stop Us” Campaign
Using powerful video storytelling, Nike showcased the importance of unity and resilience in the face of global challenges. The campaign has millions of views and thousands of engagements.
✅ Dove’s #RealBeauty Campaign
Dove has leveraged user-generated content to promote natural beauty. The campaign helped create a strong emotional connection and trust with their audience.
✅ Spotify Wrapped
Every year, Spotify has a year-in-review campaign that's reliant on its users sharing their own reiteration of already-ridden music stats. Every year the campaign turns into a viral campaign that exponentially increases the brand's exposure to their users and off-platform engagement.
Social media marketing is not a nice-to-have - it’s a necessity in the age of the digital world. It allows businesses to engage, connect and convert their audience like never before.
Whether you’re a local owned business, or a world-wide brand, a well-developed social media strategy can not only boost your overall online presence, but also grow your business.
If you're looking to take your social media to the next level, agencies like Saffron Webs can help you develop and implement successful strategies that align with your goals.
