Before the mayhem that is COVID-19, social media was used for a variety of reasons. Whether it was for your food blog, your dog’s Instagram, or stalking your ex-partner’s account, the options seemed endless. Flash forward to March of 2020, when small (and large) businesses started scrambling to develop a marketing plan that could effectively reach the masses during an impending quarantine, social media became one of the first methods for doing so. Since then, though we haven't been able to gather and connect in person, we have still kept up with the lives of those around us through social media, including those working at your favorite businesses.
In saying that, many people and companies struggle to grasp the magnitude of untapped potential in social media, as there is still a slight stigma attached to being ever-present on various platforms. In the years leading up to the historic 2020, “globalization” seemed taboo and threatening to our privacy. However, it is slowly starting to shed its negative connotation as we continue to see the benefits of having an internet presence via social media due to the millions of people who utilize it daily (even hourly).
Now more than ever, we live in a borderless society of the constant connectivity that was once feared, but strictly through a marketing perspective, is that really a bad thing? No, we don’t think so! Social media allows us the opportunity to connect with people we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. Not only that, but it’s a fraction of the cost of conventional marketing! It gets better. A business can truly develop their voice and their brand via social media, while also participating in national and global movements to establish a perspective through its platform.
For example, on June 2nd of this year, businesses could participate in #blackouttuesday in solidarity of the Black Lives Matter movement. This was a game-changing moment for businesses, as followers could get a snapshot of their favorite brand's positioning and values. Never before has it been this easy to pick and choose where your money will go, based on a business morality.
From a marketing standpoint, a business can reach a significantly broader audience via social media compared to other marketing methods. A wonderful example of this is Bitty & Beau’s Coffee shop, which received national attention for hiring employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They gained this attention after being found on social media. Since then, they have opened several more shops while being featured on The Today Show, CNN, People Magazine, and many other national platforms. Similarly, non-profits (one our favorite kind of client) have taken to this marketing tactic as they are able to raise awareness and funding on a much more extensive scale than traditional marketing tactics.
Over the years, social media marketing has become its' own marketing strategy, employing marketers who specialize in encouraging that growth within our social accounts. If you have been hesitant to deploy a robust social digital strategy for your organization, this is the time to change your mind. Our state of being physically distant is hanging around longer than we all hoped. Although space is necessary in person, it does not have to be online.
Revise your marketing thinking, finding a new way to socialize!