Social media marketing is a must-have for businesses that want to stay relevant

This is branded content for First Page.

Social media is an absolute force to be reckoned with, infiltrating every aspect of our lives, and becoming one of the most widely used and highly versatile marketing tools available.

Between Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, Youtube and Pinterest, we spend a lot of our time online. We socialise, unwind, scroll, shop and entertain ourselves using social media, and our average daily time spent on our socials is currently sitting at approximately 147 minutes.

That's a staggering amount of time, and a huge opportunity for businesses and advertisers to communicate with their intended audience.

It's become glaringly obvious that for businesses to remain a valid competitor, they must be utilising social media marketing as a cornerstone of their marketing strategy.

Businesses risk being left behind, with competitors gaining an advantage over those who aren't actively participating in social media marketing, simply because of the volume of which it is used.

Even industries that were previously less familiar with digital promotion, have turned to social media marketing as a means of showcasing their businesses at relatively low costs.

Trades and service based businesses used to rely on more traditional forms of marketing but have even jumped on board the social media bandwagon, preferring the independence they have on such platforms, for driving brand awareness and credibility.

Social media allows businesses an immediate connection to their audience, enabling them increased autonomy in how their brand is portrayed and what messages are communicated.

It also provides invaluable opportunities for businesses to create humanised relationships with their potential and existing customers, engaging with other social media accounts to create trust and brand credibility.

Social media accounts provide an additional online presence, where consumers are more likely to discover your business organically. It can then funnel traffic directly to your website, creating leads and generating interest in your brand.

Social media is widely accessible, used by all demographics, all over the world. It's also convenient for businesses of all budgets, with free and paid marketing options to suit everyone.

There are many ways for businesses to capitalise on social media marketing, all of which will reap different results.

Creating a consistent posting schedule, packed full of value for your audience and potential customers is imperative to remain steadily present in users' news feeds, pleasing the Instagram and Facebook algorithms.

Community engagement is a main component of a successful social media strategy, as it improves the reputation, credibility and trust that people associate with a specific business. It also affects how social media platforms determine an account's discoverability, favouring those who actively participate online.

While there are strategies businesses can employ on their own accord to utilise social media, the most successful returns on investment are often by the hands of agency experts.

Social media marketing agencies, like First Page, are experienced in technical campaigns, and familiar with the analytical side of social platforms. They can devise in-depth strategies and know the best practices to implement on each individual platform.

Between Pinterest and Linkedin, Facebook and Youtube, there are some forms of content that perform better than others. Posting schedules, hashtags and messaging also differ from platform to platform, and are factors that require earned knowledge to truly inform a thorough strategy.

Partnering with a social media marketing agency is often the best blueprint for social media success. For a free quote and a comprehensive strategy, get in touch with First Page today.