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The 2022 Pros and Cons of Social Media

Dustin Wright

By 

Dustin Wright

Published 

August 29, 2022

Social media is essential for any business looking to reach its target market. It may have started out as just another source of entertainment. Still, now it can't be ignored - especially with how powerful social networks like Facebook and Twitter have become in generating traffic towards content creators or advertisers who want people interacting on-site through comments, shares, etc..

In this article, we'll take a closer look at what SMM really means when developing your own strategy; exploring both pros AND cons so you know if using these platforms should happen organically within current practices.

How do you define social media marketing?

If you're not already using social media to market your business or product, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. With over 3 billion people using social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn every day, there's a vast potential audience for your content.

And it's not just about reach. Social media marketing allows you to connect with your audience on a personal level, creating relationships that can lead to conversions. What's more, a strong social media presence can improve your organic search results and rankings, driving even more traffic to your site.

So if you're not using social media to market your business or product, now is the time to start. With over 3 billion users worldwide, it has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. For small businesses, in particular, social media provides a level playing field, allowing them to compete with larger businesses in terms of visibility and reach. What's more, social media is an extremely cost-effective way to reach your target audience. With over 71% of the US population on Facebook alone, businesses have the potential to reach a vast number of people at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing methods. In today's increasingly competitive marketplace, social media provides businesses with a powerful tool to reach their target audience and grow their business.

hand holding a mobile phone with social media icons


What's the difference between passive and active social media marketing?

SMM can take two forms — either passive or active. Both are effective and should be used together.

Passive SMM — passive marketing focuses on the content you post on your site, your SEO efforts, and maintaining your listings in online business directories. These work great and can lead to high rankings on the search engine results pages (SERPs) but can get an accelerated boost when used in conjunction with more proactive strategies. That's when things really take off!

Active SMM — active marketing takes those resources that were generated for your passive marketing campaigns and gives them a jumpstart with social media. These can include paid and unpaid marketing campaigns, posting, liking, and commenting on social media, engaging customers in events, email, and networking, and bringing customers back to your site with targeted content. By using both passive and active SMM techniques, you can maximize your reach and engagement, leading to more customers and conversions.

Let's break it down. Social media marketing is, at its core, building relationships with your target audience through the use of online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The key word here is relationships

In order to be successful in social media marketing, you need to focus on creating and maintaining relationships, not simply broadcasting a one-way message. That means taking the time to listen to what your target audience is saying and engaging in two-way conversations. It also means being transparent, consistent, and genuine in your interactions. Now that we've covered the basics let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of social media marketing. 

couple using social media platforms

Pros of Social Media Marketing

In today's digital age, businesses can no longer afford to ignore the importance of a strong online presence. With more and more consumers using the internet to research products and services, small businesses need to have a well-designed website and an active social media presence. In addition, a strong digital marketing strategy can help businesses reach a wider audience, build brand awareness, and generate leads.

Here are those benefits:

Social Media Marketing is Cost-Effective

Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of internet marketing that uses social networking websites as a marketing tool. The goal of SMM is to produce content that users will share with their social network to help a company increase brand exposure and broaden customer reach. 

One of the key advantages of SMM is that it is relatively inexpensive to start. Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter are free to join, and many free or low-cost tools are available to create content. In addition, SMM has a high potential reach because social media platforms have billions of users. For example, Facebook alone has over 2 billion active users. 

However, SMM can also be time-consuming and require ongoing effort to be effective. To get the most out of SMM, it is essential to develop a strategy and plan for how you will use social media to achieve your business goals. This is where a social media marketing agency can be helpful. An agency can provide expertise and support to create and implement an effective SMM strategy.

How To Effectively Reach Your Target Audience

By targetting ads and content to users that social media algorithms have determined would be interested in your product or services, you are increasing the chances that they will take actions such as visiting your website or making a purchase. Increasing your conversion rate is essential to any business, and social media provides an ideal platform for doing so.

Not only do the major social media platforms have the ability to target specific groups of users, but they also have an enormous reach. For example, Facebook and Google are two of the most popular websites in the world, and they offer businesses the opportunity to advertise to billions of people. When used effectively, social media marketing can be an invaluable tool for driving growth and achieving success.

Overall Brand Awareness Increases

Your brand is one of your company's most valuable assets. It's the sum total of what customers think and feel about your products or services. And in today's competitive marketplace, it's more important than ever to nurture and protect your brand. Social media marketing is an essential tool for building and maintaining a strong brand. By carefully crafting the messages you send out through social media, you can control how customers perceive your brand and build loyalty among current and potential customers.

Remember, consistency is key when it comes to social media marketing. By ensuring that your brand is front and center in all of your campaigns, you can create a powerful and lasting impression that will continue to pay dividends long into the future.

Consumer Engagement is a Leverage

It's no secret that social media has changed the business landscape. One of the most significant changes is how businesses interact with their customers. Before the rise of social media, companies would produce marketing and advertising content to appeal to their target audience. However, interacting with customers wasn't really on the radar. With social media, businesses now have the opportunity to build real brand loyalty and long-term customer engagement.

This takes time and effort, but it can be highly beneficial for companies. It means engaging with people on social platforms, answering questions in real time, encouraging customers to leave comments and reviews, and being available no matter what the circumstances. Responding to feedback, whether positive or negative, is also key. Social media has undoubtedly changed the game when it comes to customer relations.

Data Drives Everything, and It's Right At Your Fingertips

A social media strategy can be successful only if data determine ROI. The data provides information on whether the process has been effective and where it needs to be improved. Analytics show the areas that need improvement. If you are unfamiliar with how to extract the data or what it means, find the best SMM agency around to help you hone your efforts. The agency will help you determine the success of your social media strategy and ROI.

woman holding a gear getting frustrated


The Cons of Social Media Marketing

There are a lot of moving parts to a great social media marketing strategy. An effective overall social media marketing plan needs fresh, relevant content delivered on a frequent, consistent basis to multiple platforms. It can truly be overwhelming!

While there are some components that a company can handle initially if done appropriately, the business will grow. You will either spend your evenings and weekends managing your social media or even unintentionally dropping the ball. Unfortunately, neither is a good solution.

For many companies, the answer can be found in engaging an experienced SMM agency that can spearhead the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks required to keep all the plates spinning. The best agencies will also bring valuable experience and perspectives from other industries that can be applied to yours for even greater success. In addition, they will have established relationships with influential bloggers, other businesses, and key players in your industry that can help amplify your message even further.

Engaging an SMM agency is an investment in your company's future growth and success. It's an investment worth making.

Coming Up with a Social Media Marketing Budget Can Be Difficult

Variable costs like production and content make it tough to estimate the social media marketing at first. However, companies that effectively steer a successful social media strategy increase their budgets. In addition, social media platforms are constantly changing, so companies need to adapt their strategies to succeed. To create an effective social media strategy, companies need to understand their target audience, what type of content they engage with, and what kind of messaging will resonate with them.

Additionally, companies must regularly monitor their social media platforms to respond quickly to any negative comments or reviews. By taking these steps, companies can create a successful social media strategy that will help them connect with their target audience and grow their business.

The Results Will Come, But They Take Time

One of the most challenging things about social media marketing is the waiting game. It can take months, even up to a year, to see results from your efforts. This can be discouraging for many expecting immediate sales after investing time and energy into their social media presence.

However, it is essential to remember that you are not just selling products or services but also building relationships and developing authority. These things take time, but they are essential for long-term success. If you can be patient and maintain your enthusiasm for the project, you will eventually start to see solid results.

In the meantime, don't forget to supplement your social media marketing with other activities, like paid ads. While they may have a more immediate payoff, your efforts will work together to form a complete and successful marketing strategy.

Be Prepared For the Negative Feedback

Social media exposure opens you and your business up to potentially negative feedback. Like your brand, your online reputation is at risk of being attacked. Unfortunately, negative people out in the world can target your business. Maintaining integrity in all your communications, comments, content, and posts is the best offense. 

Diligently monitoring and responding to negative feedback, reviews, comments, or responses on the various platforms is the most concrete way to dispel a problem. How you handle these situations is also something that other customers will read and remember. Potential customers will often research how companies respond to complaints before doing business with them. So while it may be unpleasant to deal with negative feedback, it is an integral part of maintaining an excellent online reputation.

Let's End on a Positive Note

With over 3 billion active social media users, it’s hard to ignore social media's potential for businesses of all sizes. Social media can be a powerful tool if you’re looking to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or boost sales. However, some businesses are hesitant to get started with social media due to concerns about negative comments, spam, and trolls. While it’s true that you may occasionally have to deal with these issues, they should not dissuade you from jumping into the social media game. The potential benefits far outweigh the occasional negative comment. And, if you do encounter problems, there are ways to deal with them effectively.

For example, you can use moderator tools to delete spam comments and block trolls. If you’re not sure where to start, consider working with an experienced social media marketing company like Spark Search that can help you navigate the sometimes- complicated world of social media.

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