How to integrate social media into your marketing efforts

Today’s consumer is increasingly focused on social media—and marketers should be no different.

A recent study concluded that 2.3 billion internet users have a strong presence on various social media platforms. Though the most common platforms are Twitter and Facebook, visual platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat are gaining traction with younger generations.

Many marketers, though, aren’t connected on social media in the way that they should be. Many are guilty of using the wrong platforms to share their organization’s content—or worse, not using social media at all.

Correcting these mistakes and integrating social media into your campaigns will bolster your inbound marketing endeavors. As the world continues to advance technologically, social media is crucial to the success of any marketing campaign.

Here are three benefits of adding a social media angle to your next campaign.

1. Customers will follow your brand.

If the sheer number of active social media users is not enough to persuade a brand manager to hop on board, perhaps the possibility for customer acquisition will swing the pendulum.

Today’s buyers do not want to have unsolicited advertisements shoved down their throats. A customer who follows a brand’s channels indicates they’re interested in learning and buying from them. Brand managers can use that to their advantage.

Research suggests that 80 percent of business owners have used social media to influence consumers’ buying decisions. However, the same study concluded that only 27 percent of the world’s top 100 businesses are actively using social media in that way.

Want to create more influence marketing campaigns? Discover which platforms your target audience uses, and share that information with your marketing team.

2. Social media can be extremely cost-effective.

The most popular social media channels—Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat—are also completely free to use.

RELATED: Join us at Facebook HQ for the Social Media and Storytelling Summit.

Although there are low-cost advertising options that can (and should) be used across many of these platforms, using their free aspects can yield a significant and positive ROI—the chief investment being time.

3. You can create something meaningful.

Success on various platforms comes from thoroughly researching your target audience.

Failing to do so can create more embarrassment than success for your brand. Test different platforms to determine which ones your audiences prefer. Once you know, it is crucial that you dive in. Perform competitive research to see where and how your competitors have succeeded.

Ask two key questions:

• What types of content are being shared in my niche?

• In what voice are successful brands communicating?

Design your campaigns around your findings. A well-thought campaign can create a shared trust between your brand and your online audience.

PR Daily readers, how have you effectively used social media in your marketing campaigns?

Taylor Tomita is an SEO specialist in Boise, Idaho. Connect with him on Twitter.

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