For the last decade, social media advertising was something utilized by many companies, but not quite a necessity, especially for smaller businesses with target demographics who weren’t particularly tech savvy. The evolution of social media in the last few years is undeniable, though, and there are no longer any target demographics that don’t use at least one social media outlet.
Facebook is still the kingpin, and according to Pew Research, 69% of adults in the U.S. used the platform in 2019. Video sharing service, YouTube, which also offers plenty of opportunities for advertising and engagement actually eclipsed the 70% mark, though many YouTube users simply watch a video and logoff meaning Facebook is the best place to start growing your brand.
The numbers drop somewhat for the other services such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, but at 37%, 24%, and 22% of adults using those three, respectively, there were still more users on the mediums than there were people who watched the Super Bowl in 2019, meaning they are no longer niche outlets requiring little attention from your marketing team.
Every time someone engages with your product or service on a social media platform, your brand gets further ingrained in their head. Even the U.S. government has made a commitment to utilizing social media regularly, and whether your business has a lot, a little, or no social media presence, the time is now to increase your marketing focus, ultimately increasing your social media engagement.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused most of the country to be stuck at home, with social media being one of the few ways for society to engage with each other. This caused even more of an increase in logins, and social media usage is expected to continually increase long after the last vaccine is given out. Here is a look at social media engagement and why it is even more important in 2021 than it has been in the past.
Influencers
Social media influencers are individuals whose followings on their platforms are large enough to sway a significant amount of people one way or another on a given topic or product. These people are generally inexpensive targets for marketing, and if you find the folks who are masters of their niche, but not household celebrities, your marketing team can rest easy knowing that everyone who follows that influencer has common interests. A simple example would be partnering with a professional gamer for a tech company pushing a new gamer headset.
Your company, too, can become an “influencer” by providing great content that encourages shares, likes, and other engagement. Wendy’s, the fast-food burger joint, has made a hilarious name for itself on Twitter as a sassy-comeback queen, resulting in the chain having an impressive 3.7 million followers on the medium, which is more than McDonald’s (even though they have a $130 billion brand value vs Wendy’s $500 million).
If you can build your social media following with engaging content, you can set yourself up to reach literal millions of consumers without spending a penny. Even social media influencer marketing has a solid return on investment, but engaging content can get your business to place where your investment can be just a few minutes creating a post about a new deal or product, and instantly sharing that with millions of people for free.
There are also options for sponsored advertisements on these mediums, and though there is a monetary investment, this is a great way to build that audience. Sponsored content is algorithmically pushed towards consumers whose data shows they have like interests in other people who are already engaging in your social media content. With that in mind, no engagement means no algorithms, meaning your content should be fun, informative, and engaging even if you only have a handful of followers.
Re-evaluate
Social media is as trendy as anything, and even hot topics on Twitter are called “trending topics.” With this in mind, what is good content today may not be tomorrow, and staying ahead of social media trends can mean huge boosts in engagement and follows. Make sure your social media marketing team is open-minded, fun, and foreword-thinking and your engagements will turn to dollar signs sooner than later.
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