Is it ever worthwhile investing time and effort publicising your brand through the social media?
Should your business invest in social media content as part of your marketing strategy? The answers to either of these questions will vary depending on who you ask. Some marketers will tell you that using platforms like Facebook and Twitter will boost your profile and increase the likelihood of visitors clicking through to your main website: others will tell you you’ll be wasting your time as there’s no concrete evidence to suggest that social media content produces any significant ROI. So who’s right? Well, if you accept the findings of the latest Forrester Search Marketing Playbook, it would appear to be the former. It seems social media content is important for driving traffic to websites, and what’s more its importance is growing year on year.
Forrester found that in 2012, over one third of consumers found websites through social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
That’s a significant number when you think about it. In 2010 18% of consumers found domains through social media sites: in 2011 that figure had increased to 25%. In 2012 32% of consumers discovered websites through popular applications like Facebook and Twitter – making social media second only to organic search results as a means of online discovery. If the figures are correct, and the trend continues, then there can be little doubt that social media content does produce ROI.
This is particularly important when you bear in mind that the global reach of social media is continually increasing: Brafton recently reported that 25% of the world’s population will be actively involved on social media by the end of 2013. It follows, therefore, that the impact of social media content on brand awareness and profitability will only continue to grow. The more businesses publicise their products and services through social media channels, the greater the likelihood on click- throughs and conversions. Active participation on social media channels undoubtedly drives consumers through to websites, so it has to form part of any forward-thinking marketing strategy in the future.
