The need for social media marketing

As of 30th June 2013, Facebook had 82 million users in India with 75% on mobile and they believe  that the next billion will come via mobile. Such staggering statistics point to the fact that the power of the mobile and the internet is growing at a very fast pace in India. Social media has become an active platform for people not just for recreational purposes but for businesses and networking alike. Long gone are the days when print and electronic media were the major sectors for marketing purposes, people are now leveraging the social media for promoting their business in a big way. 

Blogs , Facebook and twitter pages are some of the ways which entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts are looking at to expand their venture in an effective and cost friendly way. In this day and age everyone wants to look things up online before buying something and our friend Google agrees with this theory . According to a recent report from Fleishman-Hillard, The company found that 89 percent of consumers turn to Google, Bing or another search engine to find information on products, services or businesses prior to making purchases.

A Study shows that companies which blog get 55% more traffic as compared to those which don’t.Ultimately traffic is what brings in leads ,so it is very simple to understand the value of posting content online which your potential customers can relate to. Posting newer and fresher content is also a tried and tested way to rank higher on Google search results, for which some companies end up paying thousands of dollars , but in reality can be achieved by posting fresh and helpful content for your audience , because if they like what you are posting , they are obviously more inclined to come back again . Just remember that content reigns king as far as social media marketing is concerned. People today want to be part of a business which markets themselves proactively .

Social media marketing is not only a source for businesses to market themselves online , it’s also an easy way for them to interact with their customers, solve their doubts and questions , increase their reach  and thereby improve their brand credibility in the eyes of the customers. This is something which was unheard of half a decade ago , but today has become quite a norm and the major players in the market are turning towards this option to expand and further establish themselves.

According to Google, 97 percent of consumers search for local businesses online.So if you have a small business and want to expand, then being online is the place for you because your customers are online and you should be too. Posting stuff about your business, latest products ,trends , offers , are some of the means by which you can engage your customers online . So get out there , start blogging, make Facebook and twitter fan pages for your customers and most importantly update them regularly. If you decide to update your  content once in a week then stick to that routine because marketing is a work in progress and so keep at it. Start getting creative and have fun , and don’t be afraid to get unconventional.