From being something that is “good-to-have”, social media has become the cornerstone of marketing for all brands. It is a means of connecting and engaging directly with your consumers in a way that other platforms cannot provide. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and newer ones like TikTok are dominating the digital space and are fertile grounds for brands to leverage on.

60% of consumers use social networks to research new brands or products. It was also reported by Instagram that 80% of its users followed at least one business, and more than 200 million people visited at least one business profile every day.

It is now essential for your brand to be discoverable on social media, as it has now become a key part of the consumer journey. This means that brands need to start polishing and giving more attention to their social media.

71% of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. However, social media is not only effective for spreading brand awareness among consumers. Effective brand social media platforms can encourage advocacy among its consumers due the nature of user-generated sharing of content that is native to social media platforms.

Social media platforms are now crucial in every brand’s marketing strategy, but how does it affect branding?

The most obvious benefit is the creation of positive product and brand awareness in the mind of your consumers. With social media, it is a new platform to create and curate content that allows your brand to build up a strong and memorable image. This also gives your consumers a platform to connect with and provide authentic and positive reviews about your brand. The way your brand interacts and showcases these interactions with consumers will leave an impression and encourage positive brand recall.

An authentic, eye-catching and interesting page can also help your brand stand out against your competitors. Posting original content that seeks engagement from its consumers, as well as constantly bringing them into the conversation makes consumers feel like your brand truly cares for them.

Due to the direct and highly-social aspect of social media, making sure the messages that your brand puts out are personalised to your consumer is key in making them feel a connection to your brand. Consumers want to feel like the brands they engage with care about them and are willing to let their consumers be part of the important conversations. A brand that can effectively leverage on the features and uses of the many individual and different social media platforms will be able to dominate the minds of their consumers.

Compared to platforms such as email, 63% of social media complaints are addressed by brands within 24 hours.  However, consumers still expect it to be faster.

If a brand takes an extended period of time to respond or does not respond at all, consumers will form a negative impression of the brand and may spread this view to their peers. Regularly interacting with your consumers proves that your brand cares about them. This is why brands need to come up with consistent practices across all their social media platforms, thus strengthening their brand image.

Another benefit is that it can increase your website traffic and click-through rates. By regularly sharing and creating engaging content on your social media platforms, this gives your consumers a reason and interest to click-through to your website. The more high-quality and engaging the content that reaches your audiences through your social media platforms, the more inbound traffic and conversion opportunities you will generate.