Social media is the place to hang out, not only for people but also for brands. Over 90% of marketers have realized the advantages of social media, and as marketing evolves further, this number will only increase.
Though the number of brands on social media is increasing, people are becoming skeptical about using social media. Trends like “social media detox” and “boycott social media” have been getting good responses from people. Social isn’t that bad, though, and it can make your life better if used in the correct dosage.
Today, let’s discuss the benefits of social media for both brands and individuals.
Table of Contents
Advantages of Social Media for Businesses
Over the last decade, social media has emerged as the go-to channel for brands to increase brand awareness, generate leads, and increase customer loyalty. Let’s look at the key advantages of social media for companies.
Increase Brand Awareness
Social media is the best channel for brands that want to increase brand awareness. Around 4 billion people – over half the global population – use social media. Therefore, a brand with a solid social media presence can reach more customers and create awareness at a large scale.
Advantages of Social Media: Get More Traffic
If you’re looking for ways to increase your website traffic, social media can help. Social media is one of the top website traffic sources in all industries, after search engine and direct traffic.
Social media helps you increase website traffic in two ways. First, you can share your website links with your social media followers and encourage them to visit your website. Second, you can run ads on social media and direct the traffic to your landing page.
Boost Search Rankings
Though Google doesn’t officially mention this, experts believe that a robust social media presence can improve your search engine rankings. Again, this can happen in two ways.
First, when you have a popular social media profile with many followers, Google gets a signal that you are authoritative and prioritizes you over others. Second, Google search results also show social media profiles. So, if you have a social profile, your brand can appear on search results multiple times.
Get More Conversions
Research has shown that social media can help boost conversions. Though social media isn’t a sales channel, it can support your sales and marketing efforts and play a vital role in the marketing funnel. It can act as a major lead generation and nurturing channel and help you push your potential customers for sale.
Increase Customer Engagement and Satisfaction
Finally, brands active on social media generally have happy and satisfied customers. When you are active on social media, your customers can easily reach you instead of sending emails and waiting for a response. You can also leverage social media to continuously engage your customers.
Advantages of Social Media for Individuals
Let’s now come to the big debate – should a regular young person quit social media? The answer is a big “no.” Of course, if you’re addicted to social media and spend endless hours scrolling Instagram, you have a problem that needs to be fixed. But if used in moderation, social media can be a blessing and improve your quality of life.
Let’s look at some advantages of social media for individuals.
Connect with People
There’s no better way to connect with people than social media. You can find not only your friends and family members but also strangers. You can become more “social” and expand your circle. Social platforms like LinkedIn even help you connect with working professionals and companies.
Stay Updated
Social media is one of the best sources of news. Twitter is a great example. Twitter’s “trending” section tells you everything that’s currently happening in the world and what people are talking about it. Moreover, the trending section is location-specific, and you can even choose to follow certain topics.
Do Something Noble
If you want to do something for the greater good, social media can be the right platform for that. Many NGOs and charity organizations are active on social media, where they run awareness campaigns and raise funds. If you want to do something noble and want people to become a part of it, social media can be of great help.
Follow Your Favorite Brands
This is a very underrated benefit of using social media. You can follow your favorite brands and get access to the deals right after they are launched. Almost all prominent brands are active on social media, and when they launch a deal or offer, they post it on social media. Many brands even offer incentives to customers who follow them on social media.
Have Fun
Social media is fun. You can find memes everywhere on social media, and many comedians and comedy content creators actively post on social media, mainly Instagram and TikTok. Therefore, if you’re looking for a source of entertainment, social media can be an ideal place for you.
How Much Time Should You Spend on Social Media?
It’s okay to spend a couple of years on social media (at intervals); however, some people may spend a few minutes more or less. There is no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to using social media. What’s essential, you must ensure social media isn’t hindering your life.
If checking social media is the first thing you do in the morning, or you’re not able to focus on work because of social media, then it can be harmful. If you feel you’re social media too much, try to limit your usage to only when you take breaks and a few minutes before going to sleep. This way, you can create the perfect balance without overusing social media.
Conclusion: Advantages of Social Media
Social media has benefits for both brands and individuals. For brands, it helps increase awareness, reach more customers and get more sales. For individuals, social media can act as a fantastic source of news and entertainment.
However, it’s essential to monitor your social media usage and ensure that you’re not using it too much. If used in the right amount, social media can create a positive impact on your life.
