Social media – from hip add-on to must-have!
While social media marketing was considered a gimmick in private-person-dominated platforms just a few years ago, it is now impossible to imagine the marketing mix without it. And that across all industries and divisions.
The race for likes and images with over-the-top filters has evolved into a complex competitive landscape where conversions and leads are traded as digital gold.
Everyone meets here – incentives for social network activities
Even before the rapid rise of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and what they’re all called, companies and marketing departments had to make tough decisions.
“Do I reach my target audience with a billboard in the subway, with a radio spot, or still in the good old newspaper?”
Social networks, at least the big players Meta (formerly Facebook) and Google, skillfully take this decision away. You want to convince an older target group of exceptional reading glasses – Meta and Facebook has them. Your video game is designed for teenagers between 16 and 20 and you need to reach them – Meta and Google have the solution.
The game could go on forever. In Germany, 94% of all inhabitants used the Internet at the beginning of 2021, of which around 79% used social media. And that with a dwell time of just under an hour and a half.
Some of the users are on different platforms. However, with around 8.4 accounts per person, one can assume a high content penetration with a clear conscience,
Beach pictures meet infographics
The exponential use of social media on the part of private individuals has also been perceived as an opportunity in companies over the course of the last few years. Already in 2017, three out of four companies relied on marketing measures in social networks. Whether the company is a small business, a medium-sized enterprise or a large corporation plays a subordinate role. Initially, the networks are not tied to any specific prerequisites and enable a communication platform for everyone.
A global study of 4,4000 marketing managers from 2021 shows which goals or benefits are being pursued with the measures. The focus is primarily on attention, traffic, leads and customer retention. The fact that 60 percent are already talking about increased sales shows the extent to which social media marketing has developed into a performance-oriented measure.
Ciao 16:9, 9:16 now takes your place
The fact that strategic and thoughtful measures in social networks are useful, we could tell in 537 other blog articles…otherwise we wouldn’t do the whole thing here 😉
Before we get more into the application in the next few articles, here’s one of the biggest changes in social media marketing: mobile first becomes mobile only.
Smartphones and mobile devices in general are increasingly displacing PCs and laptops from the social media scene. Content, whether entertaining or informal, is just a click away. The switch in content consumption
is also reflected in studies. In 2020, around 80 percent accessed the Internet using a mobile device.
So for today’s and tomorrow’s marketers, rethinking content design will be critical. Distorted images on the cell phone are unsexy and are usually clicked away within seconds. We wouldn’t do it any other way.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a bottom line in social media marketing, it’s either going to take you forever or you’re going to be properly led around by the nose by the wrong people. Social networks are far too dynamic to form a concise summary. Every day something new happens – changed algorithms, new features, trends. The list is long.
In any case, this much is certain: without social media, companies look old. It’s great to see technology being embraced and finding a place in the marketing mix. From our experience, however, more and more goes. On the input side but also on the output side.
That is why we do not conclude here with a conclusion. Rather, we invite you to become part of this blog series and read regular updates on social media marketing basics, innovations and changes. We are only at the beginning.
