Why Is Social Media An Important Part Of Inbound Marketing?
The point of inbound marketing is to develop a relationship, not a one-time customer. You want to engage with people, share your story, and earn their trust. When that happens, they keep coming back, and they share their experience with friends and family. They leave glowing reviews and sing your praises.
So how do you start this relationship? If you have a blog, that's a great start. But how is your ideal customer going to find it? Do you have a brilliant newsletter? Perfect. So how do you get them to sign up for it? Even if you have their email address and send them your weekly blog post, that doesn't guarantee engagement.
Social media provides another—and potentially better—way to connect with customers and potential customers. In this article, we'll look at 10 reasons why this is the case.
How Social Media naturally fits into inbound marketing
Social media provides an easy way to connect with existing customers and prospects. Whether you want to unveil a new product, sale, or special or just share your latest blog post, social media makes it easy to get in front of your customer base.
1. It's a great tool to drive traffic to your website
By posting useful, relevant content to social media sites with links that point back to your website and a strong call to action, you can drive organic traffic to your website.
2. It's a great place to build an audience to market to and pull into your flywheel
Social media may be your first point of contact with a potential customer. Posting regular content that is laser-focused on your buyer personas enables you to build an organic audience. Smart social media draws in, engages, and builds trust. Over time, your audience will take the next step, whether it's clicking through to your website, giving you their email address, or even setting up an appointment through your social media account.
3. Social PUBLISHING is a way of putting your content in front of your prospects
Blogs, videos, testimonials, and other types of specialized content shouldn't be confined to your website. Post them on social media so they can be seen and shared.
Reasons Being active on social media is key to a successful inbound marketing strategy
4. Your buyer persona spends a few hours a day scrolling on social media
Your buyer persona isn't usually thinking about your website or blog. They are busy, and unless they have an immediate need, there is no reason to go to your site. However, they are on social media, often for three or more hours per day. Where do your customers or prospects spend their time? Make sure that's where you are hanging out.
For example, are your potential leads spending their time on Facebook? Instagram? Twitter? What kind of hashtags and keywords are relevant and how will you use them to find your audience?
5. Your social media profiles are where your leads will go to Learn more about your brand before they decide to buy from you
When leads are looking for products and services they open up their laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Businesses with no social media presence are often overlooked in favor of those that are active and engaged on social platforms. Social media is where leads go to find out who you are, what you do, and how well you do it. Customers often leave feedback on social media sites, too, so leads will frequently go there first to see if they want to pursue your business further.
6. You can use paid ads to reach your target audience and turn them into leads
Social media ads increase your reach and inspire leads to take action. A strong ad campaign on top of a smart, focused, and engaged social media campaign can grow your audience and in turn grow your business.
Ads grab attention and prompt leads to learn more and take action. Often, that action is signing up with their email address. This means you can continue the conversation off social media and begin an email nurture campaign.
7. You can include links and CTAs in your content to convert your audience and move them into the flywheel
When you post to social media, make sure you include links and a strong CTA in every post. When you do this, every post has the potential to convert prospects into customers.
8. It's a great place to keep nurturing your leads
When you post to social media, you are keeping your brand in front of potential buyers. By posting informative and engaging content that positions you as an expert and helps build trust and familiarity, you are nurturing leads every day.
9. Social media gives you the opportunity to humanize your brand to create better connections
This is important to consider when planning your social media campaigns. Yes, you want to inform and educate, but you also want to make sure your audience gets to know who you are. You aren't just some faceless business—you are a team of people with values and personalities. You have something that makes you special and sets you apart. Whatever differentiates you, be sure to always highlight that in your social media content and engagement.
10. Social media helps you position your brand as an industry leader
Building trust is imperative in today's business world. By posting intelligent, informative, and accurate content regularly, you position yourself as a trustworthy industry leader. Post content that educates and informs. Be a source your audience can turn to for answers.
Key takeaways
- Social media helps you meet leads where they are.
- Sharing informative, engaging content helps build trust.
- Posts with a strong message and CTA help convert leads.
- Sharing your human side on social media sets you apart and helps you connect with potential customers.
- Posting informative content positions you as an industry leader.
We hope this post has helped you learn about the amazing benefits of social media for your business. If you want to learn more or need an expert to help you get started incorporating social media into your inbound marketing campaigns, Eternal Works can help! Contact us to schedule a call today.
