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Everybody’s talking about the benefits of social media marketing that can help any brand increase brand awareness and boost revenue. Also, all that can be far more than the amount of money you spend on an ad campaign.
Digital marketers will tell you that social media marketing is one of the highest-ROI digital marketing strategies available. However, there are some hard truths of social media marketing that you’ll need to realize that it’s not all roses and sunshine.
In recent years, the number of brands using the strategy has been on the increase. Therefore, social media marketing has become very competitive and saturated, with organic reach being on a steady decline. Social media is not a quick success scheme. Understanding every truth will help bring your expectations to a more realistic level.
ROI Mileage May Vary
According to extensive research and survey analysis, we can say that more than 80% of marketers are using social media for marketing. However, only 48% of brands claim to realize any ROI. But what are the reasons for this discrepancy?
When someone tells you that they see a 200% ROI, you need to ask yourself how they measure it. Most of the times, ROIs are self-reported, meaning they can be subjective. Determining an accurate amount of earnings of social media is hard to calculate.
There’s No Such Thing as an Overnight Success
One of the hard truths of social media marketing for people who think that virality is easily attainable. Promoting your brand and building a reputation on social media isn’t easy. There’s no magic formula or a switch to turn on and expect a significant social media presence.
You have an opportunity to take your business to the next level, but it takes time and commitment. You need to know how the various networks operate and to understand your target audience. Create your messaging carefully, time your posts, and stay active. Engage with your followers, build your audience, and eventually, you’ll see a positive ROI.
Some Industries Naturally Do Better in Social Media Marketing Than Others
Every company out there has the potential to utilize social media marketing the right way and see a positive ROI. However, some industries will have a harder time than others. For example, companies with interesting content topics, great visuals, or those marketed to people who use social media heavily will quickly outperform a business in a less colorful industry. But the opportunity in every case is to creatively engage with your user base.
"Free" Depends on the Perspective
Yes, social media is free, and everyone knows that. However, if you’re launching a social media marketing campaign, you’ll need to invest some funds. The more you spend, the better the results you will see. You need tons of unique, entertaining, educational, and relevant content, live streaming, killer visuals, social media marketing tools, and targeted advertising. When talking about hard truths of social media marketing, the fact that you have to pay even if it’s free is probably the most common one that some folks don’t realize in the first steps.
Direct Revenue is Not the Only Measurement of Success
Generating revenue is not the sole purpose of social media. In many cases, the return cannot be measured in money. Social media allows you to build brand awareness, trustful relationships with customers, provide customer service, and so on.
These are all elements that make a strong brand. So don't too myopically focused on where and how social media will generate direct revenue will take your focus off the other essential features.
Generic Brands With a “Robotic” Voice Simply Can't Sell Anything
Brands want to get the attention of their target audience, spark their interest, and ultimately convert into a profit. However, today’s audiences won’t buy any story. They know you’re here to sell, and they want to hear your story and get to know you.
Humanizing your brand means that you should have a relatable story to tell, address an issue, and provide a solution. Can you improve their lives? Tell them how, and expect their trust in return. You are there to build relationships first, then sell. Social media were not intended for marketing at first, but for socializing, right? People make decisions according to their interests, trust, and emotions. Thus, share interesting and personal stories, spark lively conversations, and be an authority in your niche. That way, you will build and foster long-standing relationships.
Getting People to Engage is Harder Than Ever
With so many brands on social media that push out their content, people continually are bombarded with information. It’s called “social media noise,” and you need to cut through it to get your audience’s attention. Take your time to find out what material resonates best with your audience, create enticing content, pair it with great visuals, and share at the right times.
Sometimes it's About Lady Luck
Yes, you can get launched to social media stardom with just one viral piece of content. In that case, you’ll build a social media presence in no time. However, it’s very hard or even impossible to predict which piece of content will go viral. Despite having everything in place, there is always that element of luck.
The last one of the hardest truths of social media marketing is – it's much harder to be successful without a useful social media management platform. Otherwise, it will eat up your time and energy in no time.
Like any coach dispensing the tough love, we're sharing these hard truths to make you stronger, more nimble and aware. Today, social media is among the best, most cost-efficient, and the quickest marketing strategies out there.
However, if you want to be successful in your endeavors, you need to have your eyes wide open. Understand the potential and the true nature of social media marketing if you want to set realistic expectations.
