Social media has become an incredibly powerful tool for marketing and growth for businesses of all sizes. For inbound marketing specifically, social media is one of the most critical pieces of the puzzle.
Inbound marketing is about creating valuable content for your buyer personas and attracting leads through various channels. With over 4.62 billion (58.4%) people using social media, it's no surprise that social is so essential for inbound marketing.
So, what makes social media so important for inbound marketing? This guide will offer a detailed explanation of the role social media plays in inbound marketing, reasons why you need to be active on social media for successful inbound marketing, and some tips to ensure your social media campaigns are effective.
How Social Media naturally fits into inbound marketing
The buying process is no longer a linear process where buyers move from one stage to the next in a clearly defined order. In fact, most buyers today are in multiple buying cycles simultaneously. They might be in the awareness stage for one product, the consideration stage for a different product, and the decision stage for a third product.
With the ability to meet and engage buyers in various buying cycle stages, social media provides a unique opportunity for inbound marketing. Here are several ways social media boosts your inbound marketing strategy.
It's a great tool to drive traffic to your website
One of the most important goals of inbound marketing is to attract website visitors interested in what you have to offer. And social media is one of the best channels for accomplishing this goal.
According to recent data, social media accounts for 81% of all referral traffic to websites. This means if you're not actively using social media platforms to drive traffic to your website, you're missing out on a major opportunity.
To drive traffic back to your website, you need to create compelling content relevant to your target market and share it on social media. You also need to make sure your website is optimized for SEO and that you have effective call-to-action in place. The more traffic you attract, the more leads you'll generate.
It's a great place to build an audience to market to and pull into your flywheel
Social media provides you with a unique opportunity to build and grow a digital audience of potential customers interested in what you have to offer. It gives you more exposure to buyers and helps you attract leads through various channels. Additionally, social media can help you pull buyers further down the funnel and closer to making a purchase.
According to research from HubSpot, social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing. This means that social media provides you with a more effective way to market to your target audience, pull them into your flywheel, and close more deals.
Social media is a way of putting your content in front of your prospects
When it comes to inbound marketing, content is king, and social media is a great way to get your content in front of more prospects. With 54% of people browsing social media to get more information on potential purchases, it's essential to have a social media marketing strategy in place to distribute your content.
This means if you want your content to be seen by more prospects, you need to share it on social media. Additionally, you need to make sure your content is high-quality and relevant to your target market. When you produce great content that meets your buyers' needs, they're more likely to share it with their networks, which will help you reach even more prospects.
Reasons why you need to be active on social media to have a successful inbound marketing strategy
Inbound marketing is a holistic approach to attracting, engaging, and converting leads into customers, and social media is an essential piece of the inbound marketing puzzle. Here are seven reasons why you need to be active on social media to have a successful inbound marketing strategy.
Your buyer personas spend a few hours a day scrolling on social media
According to recent data, Americans spend an average of two hours and 24 minutes a day on social media. With such a short time and a myriad of other activities to engage in, you need to make sure your buyer personas are spending their time on social media with you.
The only effective way to do that is by being highly active on social media and sharing relevant, valuable content that meets the needs of your buyer personas. If you're not active on social media, you're going to miss out on a significant opportunity to connect with your buyers.
Your social media profiles are where your leads will go to know more about your brand before they decide to buy from you
Your social media profiles are where your leads will learn more about you before they decide to buy from you. This means you need to ensure your social media profiles are up-to-date and include relevant information about your company, such as your mission statement, values, and products and services. Additionally, you need to ensure your social media bios are catchy and interesting so that people will want to learn more about you.
You can use paid ads to reach your target audience and turn them into leads
With paid social media ads, you can specifically target people who are already interested in what you have to offer. And, by using targeted ads, you're more likely to reach the right people, which will help you convert more leads into customers.
Besides, you can also use paid social media ads to start email nurture campaigns. When someone clicks on your ad, they'll automatically be added to your email nurture campaign so that you can continue to market to them over time. This is a great way to increase the chances of converting leads into customers.
You can include links and CTAs in your content to convert your audience and move them into the flywheel
Including links and CTAs in your content is a great way to convert your audience and easily move them into the flywheel. Adding relevant links and CTAs to your content makes it easy for your audience to learn more about what you have to offer and take the next step in the buying process.
You can include links to your blog posts, ebooks, webinars, hashtags, and other content, as well as CTAs to download your content, sign up for your email list, or buy your products and services.
It's a great place to keep nurturing your leads
With social media users projected to hit 4.41 billion by 2025, it's a great place to keep nurturing your leads. By being highly active on social media and sharing relevant, valuable content, you can continue to connect with your leads and move them further down the funnel.
Additionally, social media is a great place to start retargeting campaigns. When someone visits your website but doesn't buy anything, you can retarget them on social media with relevant ads that encourage them to come back and check out your products and services.
Social media gives you the opportunity to humanize your brand to create better connections
Personalizing your brand on social media is a great way to create better connections with your buyers. When you humanize your brand, you make it easier for your buyers to connect with you and see you as more than just a company.
In fact, 76% of customers are more likely to buy from businesses they feel they have a relationship with. By being active on social media and sharing personal stories and photos, you can create better connections with your buyers and increase the chances of them buying from you.
Social media helps you position your brand as an industry leader
You position your brand as an industry leader when you give your audience valuable content. When people trust your company, they're more likely to turn into leads. This is especially true when 92% of customers say they trust recommendations from friends and family more than any other form of marketing.
By sharing valuable content on social media, you can increase the trust people have in your brand and make it more likely to fill forms and turn into leads which helps boost your inbound marketing goals.
Key takeaways
Social media is an integral part of inbound marketing. It helps you reach your target audience, convert leads into customers, and position your brand as an industry leader. Discover even deeper insights and practical strategies by downloading our comprehensive 'Guide to Using Inbound Marketing to Close More Business' — a must-read for anyone serious about leveraging the power of inbound marketing.
By being highly active on social media and sharing valuable content, you can continue to connect with your leads and move them further down the funnel. Additionally, social media is a great place to start retargeting campaigns and humanize your brand to create better connections with buyers.
If you are stuck with your inbound marketing strategy or need help creating valuable content that resonates well with your audience, we can help. We are a growth agency committed to assisting businesses to nurture more leads, traffic, and convert them into customers.
