Approximately 3.96 billion people use social media. Chances are, you have another tab open for scrolling through your Instagram or LinkedIn feeds once you’re finished reading this blog. Whether you’re active on social media platforms or not, there is no denying the massive influence it holds in our modern world. The past year and a half alone has showcased the power social media has to prevail and provide genuine human connection and resources to many as we live through a global pandemic. As everything went digital, social media marketing soared, and with it came the opportunities that are at our fingertips to carry brands and businesses to new heights. The impact of social media will only continue to grow, so it is up to us to understand its importance and learn how to best implement social media tactics in integrated marketing campaigns.

Whether your social media use is personal, professional, or a mix of both, we all know and appreciate brands with a strong online presence. After a long day of work, many use social media to scroll aimlessly for fun, so brands must keep up with that mentality and find their way into the hearts and scrolling thumbs of their consumers. Social media seamlessly integrates brand experience into the consumer’s everyday life.

Having active profiles across social media platforms allows brands to interact with their audiences outside of the point of sales/business and develop authentic, real relationships. Interactions on social media between consumers and brands have the capability to humanize the brand. This consistent and continuous dialogue that social media presents enables brands to develop their voice and personality to best reach and connect with their target audience. Consumers will begin to develop a sense of trust, support, and reliability toward a particular brand when their social media use is consistent, genuine, and engaging. A strong online presence not only establishes media visibility for your brand and different from competitors but also helps connect you to your consumers and what they find pertinent in today’s world.

To create meaningful connections with a brand’s consumers, the marketing team needs to stay relevant and sensitive to the world around them, tying the brand experience into current news and emerging trends/crises. Social media gives brands a platform to speak on social causes and current events that are important to the values of the brand itself and its audiences. With a brand presence established on social media, audiences can and will hold their favorite brands accountable to speak out for worldly causes they feel strongly about.

Accountability not only impacts a brand’s stance on social causes, but also its ability to address the needs and problems of their consumers. Social media provides brands with the opportunity to deliver quality customer service around the clock to best meet their consumers’ needs. Like any good friend, whether it’s 3:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m., you want to be there when your support is called for. The consistency and loyalty presented through your brand’s social media customer service will resonate with your audiences for a long time and produce outcomes that will positively impact your brand and business. A brand’s outlook on and execution of customer service can set them apart from their competitors, especially when it is featured and emphasized through social media strategy.

Social media’s widespread influence results from its accessibility and ease of use for both consumers and brands. With social media users coming from all across the world, social media removes any and all geographic boundaries for users and brands to connect with one another. Social media creates an opportunity to expand your brand and business to a global scale, engaging with and reaching audiences that were once seen as impossible. If your brand wants to take advantage of social media’s globally diverse audiences, be sure to create your content calendars with various time zones in mind to optimize reach! Social media is also cost-effective, which creates access for even more users to soak up its benefits and connect with their favorite brands. Nearly all social media platforms are free for users to create an account, which gives them added value to their experiences with a brand at no additional cost. The consumers aren’t the only ones saving their money, by the way. Social media marketing can generate positive results and a strong return on investment for your brand without a huge budget!

The importance of social media and how it has shaped the way brands conduct business and people stay in touch from afar is too large to spell out entirely in this blog post alone. However, the hope is that you now have a sense of how social media impacts our society as it deepens the dialogue and relationship between brands and consumers. Social media, no matter your level and intent of usage, affects us all—it’s time we understand the power of its benefits.