The importance of social media for online brands

With billions of people around the world now using social media, it's never been more relevant for businesses to utilise and take advantage of the power that these platforms offer in relation to marketing, and showcasing products or services.

The benefits of social media are manifold, but we've outlined the main advantages below.

Improved customer service & trust

Most businesses now have an online presence of some sort, which means that customers expect more in the way of customer service. Social media offers an alternative way for customers to contact a business, and in turn, for the business to respond promptly. If necessary, complaints or compliments can be escalated to different communication channels, but social media is often a more informal, preferred way for customers to get in contact. If prospective customers can see that a business is quick to reply and solve problems via social media, they may be more likely to shop with that brand.

Market research

There are several ways to collect market research and gather opinions on new products or services, however Facebook and Instagram allow you to create polls, and ask questions within their 'Story' function. Stories remain visible to your followers for 24 hours but allow them to give feedback which can be helpful when trying to get an idea of interest in new products. Different social channels allow businesses to engage with customers in different ways, so it's best to assess your target market, and consider which approach would be best in order to target them successfully.

Marketing

Social media, when used effectively, can be a vital tool for a brand's marketing. Instagram, for example, allows businesses to upload pictures of products with prices tagged within the image. When a user clicks on these tags, they can be taken straight through to the product page on the business' website, meaning they don't need to trawl the website in order to find the product they've just seen.

With the rise of reality TV shows such as Love Island, there has never been a better time to bring in a celebrity ambassador to help market a brand. Pretty Little Thing, In The Style, and I saw It First are just a few of the brands who have utilised the popularity (and the millions of followers) of islanders over the past few years. By using celebrities in their campaigns, they've multiplied their own following and increased their sales, mostly through paid Instagram advertisements and affiliate links used by the celebrities themselves.

Build your following

Social media is a great way to build a following, and hopefully gain customers. Competitions can help to get your name out there and encourage people to follow your page (particularly if part of the competition requirement is that they follow you). Once you begin to gain followers, it's important to make sure that you keep on top of your customer service, and the content that you post, in order to keep people interested in your brand.

Show that you are active

Frequently, businesses will have a website that they rarely update, it sometimes isn't clear if they are still trading. If you don't update your website very often, social media can be a really good way to ensure that customers know you're still active. If people can see that a business is posting regularly on social media and responding to queries, it will be clear that they are open for business and are taking orders.

Is my website still important?

You can spend hours perfecting your social media presence, but if your website doesn't look great, or doesn't work properly then ultimately, customers may be put off from purchasing anything from you. User experience is key, so ensuring users can find what they're looking for as quickly and efficiently as possible will help to increase online sales and retain customers.

Consistency is also an important factor when marketing your brand, so it's equally as important to ensure that your website reflects all the effort you put in on social media. Often your website will be a gateway to your social media channels, for example if you were to search Google for a product or service, chances are you would see a list of relevant websites before you see any results for social media. With this in mind, it's even more important to ensure that your website is up-to-date and reflective of your brand's core values and objectives.

If you would like more information on how to improve any aspect of your online presence or conversion optimisation of your site, please do get in touch.