The first-ever social networking platform was introduced in 1997. Social media has evolved in so many different ways since then. What we see today is a significant makeover from what it was two decades back.
So before we dive into the details of the importance of social media, let us quickly browse through the history. SixDegrees.com started in 1997, was the first site that allowed users to create profiles, invite friends, make groups and check other people’s profiles. The site was based on the theory that we are 6 degrees of connection away from anyone in the world. While the concept seemed intriguing, the approach of inviting people seemed a bit too pushy, and they couldn’t enjoy the success they would have anticipated.
However, there was a massive rise in social networking sites in the early 2000s, with the launch of Friendster, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Each served a unique purpose, founded with a few key elements. Then came Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and the likes that have made a series of brilliant moves to change things and the overall social media landscape.
Social media platforms have evolved so much since then. They are no longer just for connecting with long-lost friends or staying in touch with existing circles. They’ve become multi-functional, where people can showcase their talent, make new friends, build their audience, and brands can leverage them to grow their business.
As of July 2021, there are 4.48 Billion active social media users (use link – https://blog.hootsuite.com/simon-kemp-social-media/) in the world. Out of these, about 520 million grew in the last 12 months. That’s not all! On average, a person spends 2 hours 24 minutes on social media platforms every single day.
If your business is not using social media platforms to reach your target audience, you’re missing out. It is one of the easiest, inexpensive and effective ways of reaching out to the target audience. It has many use cases, and we’ll be talking more about them in the following paragraphs.
1. Brand Building and Awareness:
Whether you’re a well-established brand in the offline space or a newly started one, you cannot do business without creating brand awareness. The traditional way of reaching the target audience has changed significantly, especially in the last one and a half years since the pandemic breakout. The conventional methods were ineffective and inefficient in tracking the Return over Investment (ROI) for the marketing spends.
Social media provides you with a platform to reach a wider audience beyond physical borders. It offers an opportunity for your brand to tap into the target audience across cities, countries, and the globe. Social media allows a brand to establish itself by creating an unmatched human connection with its target audience.
2. Business Growth:
Social media platforms are the most effective medium for achieving business goals. You can use social media platforms to:
- Send clients to your website.
- Get more leads for your products and services,
- Advertising for direct conversions
- Generate word of mouth marketing by leveraging influencers.
3. Communication:
Creating awareness and growing are only the starting points for a business. One of the most important aspects is ensuring there is a constant dialogue with your audience. It helps to build strong connections with them and turn audiences into brand advocates. Depending on your brand goals, you could make a solid reputation, address customer queries in real-time, connect and communicate in times of crisis.
4. Gain Insights:
One of the critical things for growth is analyzing the data and making informed decisions in the future. You can ask questions and receive genuine feedback and inputs from your actual users, which will help you in product & service development.
The benefits of social media for your brand outweigh any cons they have.
We have been first-hand witnesses to see the impact social media platforms have on businesses. We truly believe social media can move things for all brands. The only catch here is that there needs to be a proper strategy and an approach. Moving like a headless chicken in the vast social media world could be counterproductive and exhausting.
Do you want to grow your business via social media? Get in touch!
