The Evolution of Social Media Marketing
In today’s world, social media platforms are a virtual necessity as a tool for promoting brand awareness. The conversations on social media channels are vital for brand awareness and sales growth. Of course,
it’s obvious why building brand awareness is critical, and social media channels offer a platform with tons
of people in one place.
That “tons” translates into 3.78 billion people currently using social media—nearly half of the world’s population. Facebook remains the most widely-used social media platform in the United States, with about 68 percent of adults using Facebook regularly. Since users spend an average of 2.5 hours per day
on social media, you can see why social media platforms promote brand awareness.
Organic vs. Paid Growth on Social Media Channels
“Organic” social media is any social media activity where no paid promotion is involved. Free social media tools are used to build and engage with an online following. On the other hand, paid social media uses advertising dollars—sponsored posts or advertisements are paid to the social network by the brand.
Cost-per-click is the most common type of paid social media. Most brands employ both organic and paid social media as a means of engaging followers. At the same time, they are extending their reach
to a broader audience.
Unfortunately, organic reach on social media channels is dropping, making it almost necessary for brands to utilize paid social media to breakthrough algorithms. Since more than half of all social media users find shopping inspiration through their chosen social media channels, most users are already receptive
to promotional messages.
Even so, organic social media remains essential as a means of managing brand reputation and customer relations. When you embrace organic social media, you can listen to your audience, building a community of like-minded individuals who share your company’s values. You can also use custom hashtags
to develop advertising campaigns. This can all be achieved without a marketing budget, as organic marketing only costs you time.
“New-Generation” Social Media Channels
Most of us are familiar with Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Many others use LinkedIn as a professional advancement/development social media platform. Relative newcomers to the party include TikTok, WhatsApp, Reddit, and Clubhouse. While you may dismiss these newcomers as catering exclusively
to teens and young adults, you might be surprised!
In the U.S., while TikTok caters to 13-40 year-olds, its user base is “aging up.” Currently, 62 percent of TikTok users are between the ages of 10 and 29, 30 percent are between the ages of 30 and 49, and the remainder is above 50. With more than one billion users, TikTok is now available in over 150 countries,
and the average user spends at least 52 minutes per day on TikTok. So if your brand caters toward
the younger crowd, you need to consider TikTok as part of your social strategy!
WhatsApp is a chat app service launched in November 2009 and purchased in 2014 by Facebook for $19 billion. Today, WhatsApp has more than two billion active monthly users across the globe and is ranked among the most popular mobile messenger apps in the world. There are WhatsApp users in 180 countries; the messenger app can be used for voice messages, calls, video calls, sharing documents, location, videos, and photos.
Reddit is a massive social media forum with a heavy focus on communities—known as “subreddits.” Because Reddit does not allow reposts, it requires a different marketing strategy. That being said, Reddit remains a serious contender for promoting brands, particularly locally. About 430 million people are active Reddit users, and there are more than 2.2 million subreddits (a community where users gather to talk about topics corresponding to the subreddit’s title)
These communities are the core of Reddit and are growing consistently, catering to general topics like tech and environment and particular niches. Reddit is the sixth most used social networking mobile app, most popular among those between the ages of 25-29. However, only about one percent of U.S. adults over the age of 65 currently use Reddit.
Clubhouse—an audio-based network—started as a niche app for Silicon Valley insiders. Clubhouse has quickly gone mainstream and is moving up the ladder of top social media networks. Clubhouse has 10 million weekly active users and is currently valued at $1 billion. Clubhouse is presently available in 154 countries and is the most downloaded app in Germany, Turkey, Slovakia, and Japan.
Clubhouse is different from most other social media platforms in that it is invite-only. You can sign up
to reserve your username, but you will need an invitation from a current user to use the app. Although Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram remain the top social media sites—therefore, crucial for brand promotion—don’t overlook these newer social media sites.
How Viral Content is the “Golden Goose” of Social Media Brand Awareness Promotion
Viral marketing occurs when a video or visual content resonates with a target audience until it goes “viral” or spreads widely across the internet. Of course, everyone hopes their marketing campaign will go viral,
as it will dramatically reflect in brand awareness, sales, and engagement. While there’s no guaranteed formula for a social media campaign to go viral, those that usually do:
● Appeal strongly to your target audience;
● Have a robust strategy that tells a story, helping your audience understand your brand through visuals;
● Have emotional appeal and are highly creative, and
● They are easy to share and promote.
How Companies are Utilizing Social Media Channels to Increase Brand Awareness
Brands with excellent brand awareness are frequently brought up in conversation; since we live in a world of social media marketing, this is an ideal platform for maintaining customer relationships and being found by new leads. In addition, social media sites enable engagement for your target audience, promote your content, and allow social sharing—all of which increase your brand awareness. To maximize the increase
in your brand awareness through social media:
● Always use visuals;
● Make sure you maximize for the specific social media platform (i.e., what you might tweet might not be the same thing you would post on FB);
● Make sure you connect with other brands, customers, influencers, etc.;
● Make it clear who you are (brand recognition);
● Post regularly—both content and visuals, and
● Consider both organic and paid campaigns.
In today’s social media-laden world, your brand awareness and brand recognition hinge on your social media presence, so use social media often and wisely!