We mustn't be complacent with outdated technology; social media is a must.

Having been raised in a technology driven environment, it is difficult to facilitate a society in my mind without it. It is challenging to imagine a business successfully marketing their demographic with the absence of this vital tool. As the digital age is consistently evolving, there is never a time where a business will have the luxury of taking the ‘back-seat’ approach to social media. Hobbe’s internet timeline gives us an insightful indication of the extent to which the digital presence has grown. The timeline outlines the emergence of internet advertisements more than 25 years ago. This adoption within countless business’ ultimately created the phenomenon that is now digital marketing. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube have been seen to generate the highest traffic and popularity.

According to Yellow Social Media Report 2018- Consumers, 88% of Australians have a social media profile. Of these individuals, 60% percent use the internet more than five times a day. The emergence of social media is undoubtedly the most effective way to reach potential consumers. According to We Are Social, 2018 calculated 17 million active social media users in Australia. To put that into perspective, there were 25 million people living in Australia in 2018.

3 reasons why marketing through social media is a must:

To increase brand recognition

Social media is a vital key for boosting brand awareness. Awareness regarding current relationships with current consumers and opening up opportunities to connect with new ones. Through understanding the key values and desires of your audience, a business can create content that aligns with these. This will generate positive brand awareness that supports the ethical responsibilities of the business.

To connect with customers & build relationships

To put it simply, why would you not establish a platform to engage with your target demographic where you know they spend most of their time? Yellow Social Media Report 2018 Consumers outlines that more than half the consumers using social media are more likely to trust brands that interact with customers in a positive way on that forum (54%), regularly update their content (54%) and have engaging and relevant content (55%). By prioritising your social media platforms, you will ensure your consumers are remaining brand loyal and feeling as though they are appreciated.

Your competitors are on social media

Yellow report for businesses indicates the proportion of businesses with a social media presence has reached the highest level recorded More than half the small (51%) and medium businesses (58%) have a social media presence, while for large businesses the incidence is 85%. With such a high prevalence of potential consumers actively engaging with your competitors on these platforms, the absence of social media will evidently leave you with a loss in market share and revenue.

Would you agree that these three elements are vital reasons to prioritise your business’ social media platforms?