Whether you love or hate it, social media is here to stay and it's on the rise. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are just a few of the more popular social media platforms that have changed the way we communicate and connect with people everywhere. Although social media has been around for years now, businesses still are just beginning to fully grasp the power of it and realize how much these platforms could potentially help them grow and connect with potential customers unlike ever before.

1. How Social Media Marketing
Can Increase Sales

2. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are just a few of the more popular social
media platforms that have changed the way we communicate and connect
with people everywhere.
Whether you love or hate it, social media is here to stay and it's on the rise.
Although social media has been around for years now, businesses still are
just beginning to fully grasp the power of it and realize how much these
platforms could potentially help them grow and connect with potential
customers unlike ever before.

3. Even if you don't have a Facebook account or you've never watched a
YouTube video, you're most likely aware of what each platform is about. For
anyone who isn't aware, social media is a method of networking and sharing
content (videos, photos, etc) on the internet.
Anyone can set up an account, complete their profile, add a picture and
start connecting with old friends (or new ones) just with the click of a
mouse. Since millions of people continue to connect on these platforms,
businesses have followed suit and continue to create and maintain a
presence where their customers are, utilizing various social media
marketing tactics.
Business and marketing
both have forever
changed due to this
increasing trend.

4. SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS
You can separate the different types of social media into categories based on the
different characteristics of how each platform is used and the types of content shared
on each.
•Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr tend to be used for sharing somewhat more personal
content, similar to blogs, although each can also be used for business marketing
purposes.
•YouTube and Vimeo are used to store and distribute video content directly or shared
to other social platforms with a link back.
•Pinterest and Instagram mainly focus on sharing visuals/photos and can also be a
great way to link to other social platforms.
•LinkedIn is unique in that it specifically is geared towards career and business-related
content.

5. There are new types and
platforms of social media
introduced every day, while at the
same time once popular platforms
lose popularity with the public.
Regardless of the platform, the
overall concept of social media
marketing can change the game
for you and your business if
effectively executed.

6. BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
For those just starting out with social
media marketing, you will be shocked at
how it can cost nothing to execute while
simultaneously effectively boosting your
traffic and sales metrics.
Using social media is a very simple way to
get people talking about your business
and what it is you do. Word of mouth
advertising and buzz can happen in a
matter of seconds without costing a dime
or taking weeks and weeks.
As a result, social media can drastically
improve your ROI and build your business and
brand awareness much faster than more
traditional marketing methods.

7. These changes in marketing within the area of social media have made it much easier
to keep customers engaged and updated regularly. Where print media formats sent
through the mail used to take weeks and require a heavy monetary investment to
distribute, social marketing material can be dispersed in seconds and cost pennies on
the dollar to produce!
Social media has changed
the way businesses engage
with their customers and
resolve an issue that used
to take days to fix. Now,
they can be addressed
within minutes on
platforms like Twitter with
120 characters or less.

8. For entrepreneurs and new businesses, social media marketing can have
tremendous results because you no longer need a ton of financial
investments to get your name out to the public. You can build up a fan base
with a minimal budget and have total control over the whole process.
Getting your products and services out to your customers can be simple,
due to the ease of distribution digitally.
Hopefully, you can now see the potential benefits in social media for your
business's marketing strategy. The next step for you will be to dive into the
specifics of each platform and find the one(s) best suited for your needs.
Check out more social media
strategy tips here.