Everyone and their dog is on Social Media today. In fact there are 4.8 billion active Social Media Users out there right now (A lot of them dog accounts coincidently). If you're a business or brand, that's a lot of potential customers.
Of course, not all of those 4.8bn are going to be interested in your message or story, but there are plenty who will be. For that reason alone, it's clear to see why Social Media is such a valuable tool in many a marketing strategy in 2023.
A lot of businesses however rely solely on Social Media and while there are a lot of benefits to be had with putting in time and effort into an effective and well-thought out Social Media plan, putting all of your eggs in one basket and focusing solely on one Marketing outlet can mean that you miss out on a lot. It can also be risky to put your entire marketing strategy and even your budget into one marketing outlet, as so much can go wrong and you stand to lose all of your hard work if that is the case.
So in our honest opinion, social media alone is not enough in your marketing. Businesses and brands should be on social media, however, they should also have other tools and channels to invest resources into. Such as a website, blog, email newsletters, even a podcast. The options are unparalleled.
If you're wondering why this is the case, then we have the 6 reasons why social media is not enough and also some other channels that you can put your marketing into for maximum benefits and peace of mind.
1. A Billionaire takeover. A solar flare. An outage. A hacking- You don't own anything on Social Media.
Imagine a scenario, where you've spent years building up your social media platform. Your customers know where to find you and you've got a great following. All down to your own hard-work. But what if a mad billionaire takes over the platform and tears it to the ground. What if there's an outage? What if your account gets hacked and there's no way back into it? And what if, there's a new kid on the block and because you're not moving with the times, your customer base moves onto new horizons?
Unfortunately you don't own anything on Social Media, the third-party Social Media giants do. So despite spending a lot of time working on building up your reputation on these Social Media platforms, if they were to switch off over night then you stand to lose all of your hard work if the worse was to happen. If it does happen, then you'll likely have to start from scratch and no one wants that.
2. Everyone's on Social Media, but not everyone is on Social Media.
It's important to remember that not all of your customers will be on Social Media and as a result they may be left-out of your marketing if you rely on Social Media as your only means of marketing. The same goes for being on only one platform.
There are a plethora of marketing mediums that you can use to Promote your business/brand. Emails, websites, blogs, podcasts... The world is your oyster. And while you don't have to do it all, it helps to have at least one other primary marketing tool outside of Social Media to help you build relationships with your most important stake-holders.
Finding out where your customers are hanging out is the best way to decide on the right channels to put work into.
It is also in your best interest to have other forms of marketing channels at your disposable. Imagine you have a customer who doesn't use Social Media, but is searching high and low for a way to shout about your incredible service/product. It would be a shame if they didn't have the means to do so and show you off to other potential customers/leads.
4. The Algorithm...
Oh the Algorithm... Something we have all tried to conquer and have all at times failed with. Let's be honest its hard to keep up with it when the landscape of these social media channels is changing.
While social media is a great way of connecting an engaging with your audience, it might not always be the most effective tool for reaching larger audience. Why? Well, social media algorithms often prioritise paid content, meaning that without investing social media advertising, your posts may only reach the people already following you. Depriving you of those potential relationships that you could be forging with new customers too. And while many businesses rely solely on organic reach to promote their business, brand or products and services on social media, without investing into paid advertising, your organic reach might not be enough to achieve your goals.
5. Inability To Track ROI
While social media metrics such as likes, shares and followers can be helpful in analysing the engagement that you get from your audience, they don't nevessarily translate into revenue or other key performance indicators (KPIs). It can be difficult to accurately measure the return on investment (ROI) of your social media work without additional tracking tools. Whereas if you were to implement other forms of marketing within your strategy, you would have a much more rounded, overall look into your customer base and how they are interacting with you as a business.
6. Short Shelf-Life of Social Media Posts
Social Media is great in that it shares your content with people from around the world, but the nature of these channels is that content is short lived. One of your videos for example might go viral but then the next day, people would've moved on. While it is a great chance to snap up new followers and build your community, if it is the only form of brand promotion you are doing, there is less chance for you to get your point across. Long-term content alongside good social media content is always going to give you the best opportunities to shine.
So with that in mind, it is always a good idea to have one or two other forms of marketing that you are putting time and resources into. Social media may or may not be your primary source of marketing (and that's okay if it is) but having a minimum of one other marketing form can really help to keep your brand safe if something were to happen to your accounts. You might even find that your ROI is higher with other forms of marketing.
On the other hand, having a marketing strategy across various medias can help you strengthen your brand and give your customers a much better insight into you as a company. It makes you look good in their eyes and also builds trust.
So where else can you show up?
A Website
Unlike showcasing your brand solely on Instagram (which you don't own), a website belongs to you and is your digital shop front where potential customers can learn about your brand, products or services. You can make sales through your website and collect leads when people contact you. It allows you the opportunity to establish a professional presence and build a trusting bond with your new and existing customers, both locally and further afield. Additionally, having a website can help you collect valuable data on your audience and their behaviours so you can further understand how to target them through your future marketing decisions.
Overall, a website is one of the most important tools you will invest in and if nothing else every business should have one. That way, there will always be somewhere for your customers to find you. Bonus points if you can work on a strong SEO strategy to get you ranking. Likewise, your website will pave a trail for your customers on social media. So all of these things in tandem are the key to successful brand promotion.
A Blog
A blog is so 2024. Trust us, there is still a very big place for blogs in today's socially connected society. In fact, one could argue that blogs are even more important and should be considered within any company/brand's content marketing strategy. Why? Well a blog allows you to connect with your target customers on a much more personal basis. You are able to share company/industry news and keep your audience in the know with informational content. You can educate and even inspire your readers to take action. It is also widely known that a blog can help you, the business, to develop trust between yourself and your customer.
Tying your blog into your social media is also a great idea and allows your audience to interact and engage with your content. It also allows them to take action and click on your links (in this case the blog on your website). Above all else, you can share your blog posts on your social media channels as evergreen/timely content. Social media does after-all have a limit and is better for short-form content. Whereas a multimedia blog will be able to house all of your long-form content.
Email Marketing
The power of the email should never be underestimated. A good email marketing plan is a crucial tool that allows businesses and brands to responsibly build up their mailing lists and connect with their audience in a much more direct and personal way. Unlike social media, email marketing allows you to reach your audience directly without the interference of algorithms or competing content.
With email marketing, you can send targeted and personalized messages to your audience, promoting your products or services, sharing valuable content, and building relationships with your subscribers. It's also an effective way to drive traffic to your website, social media accounts, or other marketing channels. Additionally, email marketing allows you to track your results, analyse your audience's behaviour, and make data-driven decisions to improve your marketing strategy. Overall, it is an essential tool for any business or brand looking to engage with their audience, drive sales, and build long-term relationships with their customers.
Podcasts
Podcasts have become increasingly popular over the last few years and have become an exciting tool used by many businesses and brands to promote their business and build relationships with their audience through another multi-media outlet. They allow you to share your expertise on a subject, provide valuable information and engage with your audience in a more personal and conversational way. You can of course, share your podcasts, including snipets of your latest episodes on social media, to get your audience engaged. However having a podcast series is guaranteed to give your content a longer shelf-life than solely instantanious Social Media content. Allowing your audience to listen whenever and wherever- increasing the likelihood of them sharing your content with others. If you're ready for something new, give a podcast a go.
Promote 1 is a London-based marketing and consultancy agency that specialises in bespoke services We also help Automotive businesses and brands through consultancy and product placement.
We can help you to manage your social media and work on other areas of your marketing, so that you don't have to. Or if you just need some help to get to grips with it all, we can work with you to come up with a bespoke plan that will help you to forge meaningful relationships with your customers and see impactful results. Want to find out more, get in touch with us.
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