In the business world, marketing is essential. However, in our new digital age, traditional marketing is becoming increasingly ineffective and a new form of marketing is on the rise. Due to its many advantages, social media marketing has become an almost essential part of any company’s attempt to establish a firm foundation in today’s competitive market. When considering the pros and cons of different marketing methods, think about all the time and money that was traditionally spent marketing your products or services, and compare it to what it now costs to market your business on social sites.
Originally, companies paid out of pocket for advertisements on television, billboards or newspapers. Eventually these strategies got to the point where they weren’t profitable in the least. Of all ad viewers, only one or two percent contacted the distributor and were interested in their product. Why was this? One of the most interesting advantages of social media marketing is that when watching television, the ads often irritate and interrupt viewers, causing most of them to be uninterested in the advertised product. With social media, the target audience not only looks at the ad, but also participates in it.
Engagement is a key advantage of social media marketing. Online, people voluntarily participate in activities and blogs that promote your business to you. When customers engage with your business or company, they not only care about your products, but they also care about your business. Social engagement with customers generally leads to increased clientele and customer satisfaction.
Another advantage that comes with social media marketing is that online advertising with sites like Facebook is one hundred percent free. You no longer have to rent a billboard or airtime on television or radio. You don’t have to pay for ink or paper or distribute flyers about your business. You can do it all electronically and be much more productive. Almost every human being, at least in the United States, has heard of Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Most have profiles. By marketing your business online, a whole new world of advertising opens up.
With all these advantages, a business can hardly survive in our world without internet marketing. However, the best part is that it is affordable, effective, and can work for anyone. Any business, no matter how small, can effectively promote itself online.