Intero Digital guest blog: What is social media marketing and how does it help your business?
In our Digital Marketing 101 series, we’ve already reviewed the concepts of SEO and SEM tactics. But we left two main services to consider when leveraging social media: SMA and SMM.
Social media is undoubtedly one of the most efficient and cost-effective digital marketing strategies for promoting your brand and engaging with targeted audiences. Popular social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others also allow access to almost every demographic, providing businesses of all sizes an opportunity to flourish.
Social media is still relatively new to the world, so you might be wondering, what is social media marketing? To put it simply, social media marketing is the strategic use of social media platforms to promote products and services and build brand awareness.
You also might be wondering, what is social media management? It is the ongoing oversight and optimization of a company’s social media presence and activities to engage with the target audience effectively.
Commonly abbreviated to SMM, social media marketing requires expert social media management to strategically plan, implement, and optimize digital marketing efforts on various social media platforms.
Whether you’re selling a product or a service, there’s an excellent chance for your organization to be discovered and grow. With billions of people actively using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to find, learn about, and purchase from businesses every day, not advertising on these channels means missing out on valuable opportunities.
When executed skillfully, social media marketing can propel your company to new heights, fostering dedicated brand advocates and generating substantial leads and revenue. But let’s get into the basics of these terms and how you can grow using them.
What is SMM?
SMM, or social media marketing, leverages your company’s social media platforms to promote your brand and engage with your target audience through content creation and community engagement. These platforms can define who you are as a company, your beliefs, and what products or services you offer.
The power of social media marketing stems from its unmatched capacity in three key marketing areas: connection, interaction, and customer data.
In addition to allowing businesses to communicate with existing consumers and reach new ones, SMM offers purpose-built data analytics that allows marketers to track the performance of their efforts and uncover even more opportunities to engage.
What is SMA, and what does SMA stand for?
SMA stands for social media advertising, and it pretty much does what the name suggests. All the tools and tactics for establishing boosted, sponsored, or paid advertisements are included in social media advertising. The goal is to reach a wider audience, promote specific products or services, and drive conversions to your social media platforms.
Social media advertising campaigns are often used to enhance a business’s reach by implementing and developing tactics with measurable targets. These help you connect and engage with different targeted markets and drive more visitors to your website, with the ultimate goal of turning more leads into sales.
How are SMM and SMA different?
While both SMM and SMA (social media advertising) revolve around social media, they differ in their approach and objectives. SMA involves paid advertising campaigns mainly to promote brand awareness, while SMM focuses on building an organic presence through nurturing relationships with existing followers.
In short, SMM aims for long-term brand building, whereas SMA provides immediate visibility and measurable results.
Social media marketing and social media advertising can both help businesses accomplish different but related digital marketing goals. The key to success is understanding the fundamental benefits of each marketing approach and strategically utilizing them to achieve the best outcomes.
Can Social Media Advertising Help SEO and SEM Marketing?
Yes – social media advertising can complement your SEO and SEM efforts quite a lot. Although SEO and SEM are different tactics for increasing the visibility of your pages in search engine results, the ultimate goal is the same: users search for the keywords you’re targeting and click on a link to your website.
Social media indirectly influences the criteria that influence search rankings to deliver high-quality online traffic to your site. The details give your company extensive insights that help you and us measure the performance of your advertising initiatives.
What Social Media Platforms Can You Advertise On?
Although the sites that perform best for you will vary depending on your industry, the most effective social media networks for company promotion are Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter. Other sites, like TikTok – the most engaging social networking app – have an average session length of 10.85 minutes, more than double that of Pinterest, which ranked second with 5.06 minutes.
Why is Social Media Marketing Important?
Social media marketing is crucial because it allows businesses to tap into the immense online user base, connect with target audiences, and foster meaningful interactions. Customers today, more than ever, listen to real people, not brands. They believe in their peers’ real-world experiences.
People contact one another for help, advice, information, and resources through social media. As a marketing leader, you want people linked with your brand to lead those dialogues (for example, employee advocates and customer advocates).
Companies can share their story, explain why/how they provide their products or services, and keep audiences updated across various platforms.
Content evolves, and trends shift. By keeping up with them, you’ll not only stand out from the crowd but also see your business grow and evolve.
About Intero Digital
Intero Digital has been developing, testing, and designing cutting-edge digital marketing solutions for over 20 years. Their team of experts will assist your entire sales funnel and offer all the digital marketing services your company needs to expand.
With expertise in SEO, SEM, SMM, SMA, and a variety of other digital marketing channels, Intero Digital provides tailored strategies and solutions to drive your online success.
For a free estimate or to discuss your digital marketing strategy with a professional, contact Intero Digital now!