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The Importance of Social Media in 2017

Everyone today has a smart phone, email address and of course, social media. In an age where everyone is connected, and these features are a normal part of everyone’s life, why is it so important to have? Well, that’s what I’m here to talk about today! With that said, here is the importance of Social Media!

To begin, at its inception social media was meant for one purpose alone: connecting. The interaction between you and your customer base is integral to building what is known as brand loyalty. According to a study published by Texas Tech, brands who engage and relate to their customers receive a higher caliber of loyalty then brands who don’t. This could be anything from simply liking a comment that someone posted, or issuing a statement addressing the changes your brand is going through and what the foreseeable future is for it. This kind of interaction helps with brand recognition as well.

Brand recognition is the ability of your customers (or potential customer) to recognize your branding across many social media platforms. This kind of constant awareness of your brand will allow marketers to push initiatives and strategic plans with relative ease. Examples of this could be a hashtag, a logo, a mission statement or even just posts with a particular tone and style. Anything that makes your brand stand out from the rest of the competition that is recognizable across all platforms is a formula for success.

These practices also lend themselves to what is known as brand authority. Brand authority is how credible you are as a brand. It’s straightforward to understand, but the difficulty of maintaining it depends on what service or product you’re selling. However, note that it is critical to developing a following and devoted customer base. If an individual is happy and exceptionally excited about a product or a service they received, they will most likely share this on their social media. This usually leads to others checking out what they’ve purchased or had done, and where they can find the same product or service.

As important as posting and conversing with your customer base is, the one thing that companies fall short on is listening. Most companies usually have their mind or heart set on something that their customers don’t want. This leads to wasteful spending of time and money. To avoid this, engage with your customers, listen to their requests and consult your ideas with them. A lot of video game companies utilize this call and response tactic to engage with their player base and develop the game further with the interest of their customers in mind. This kind of tactic will be beneficial for you in the short-term for the obvious reason of creating a dialogue and engaging with your customers, and in the long-term when your product or service is critiqued to fit precisely what your customer base wants.

In short, the importance of social media and how to utilize it cannot be understated in the slightest. Having a recognizable, credible brand across multiple accessible platforms will keep your customers engaged and excited about what your brand is doing. Conversing with your customers to learn what their needs are is not only an excellent way to solidify a dedicated following but a way to expand your business acumen and satisfy the needs of returning and new customers. In turn, this could also open up the door, and new opportunities for your brand as you continue your journey is the business world. Don’t miss out on the importance of social media.

Sources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/#2b0490f51f80

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/comc/research/outpost/blog/brand-loyalty.php#sthash.GymG5BDh.dpbs

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/07/24/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-brand-authority/#221943256210

https://www.growthgurus.com/blog/business-brand-need-understand-importance-social-media/