2021

Quote: “The power of social media is that it forces necessary change.” Erik Qualman   Introduction If you ask yourself, why are you eating what you are eating, why are you wearing what you are wearing, why are you going to a particular place, the answers to all these questions would be, “I saw it on social media.” Whether we like it or not, social media has seeped into our daily lives and it now influences almost all the decisions we make. Gone are the days when brochures, banners and posters disseminated news. In the digital age, everything happens at the click of a button. All businesses, whether B2B or B2C, have been forced to adapt to digitization and media. To rise through the ranks amongst the cut-throat competition in the industry, you need social media marketing. All age groups, including children and the elderly, are constantly surfing social media for the daily dose of their news. Let’s delve deeper to understand why people love social media and what makes it very essential. Reason 1- It Takes You On a Visual Journey People love social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook because they convey their messages through images or videos. If your post is too text-heavy, there’s a high chance that your audience might entirely skip it. Hence, new-era marketers, digital content creators and influencers leverage images, videos and reels to engage the user. Since it is instant, people enjoy going through it and searching for more. Pro Tip: If you want to be a successful marketer in the modern age, be visual and colourful on social media. Reason 2- The User Can Interact in Real-Time One major reason for social media being so popular among Gen Z is that any of your followers, users or customers can reply or comment on your post immediately. Social media reduces the pain of going through multiple channels to communicate and connect with the concerned stakeholder. By engaging in the comment section, you can directly connect with the concerned person and multiple other users to know their opinion or share your own. Apart from reacting and writing comments, you can directly message the person you are interested to partner or collaborate with. Instant messaging makes action-reaction time 10 times faster. As a result, businesses are turning to social media channels and accounts to connect with new prospects and convert their leads. Reason 3- Freedom of Expression People and businesses are very free and relaxed on social media. Gone are the days of traditional marketing. Social media has given everyone a platform to take the podium and speak their hearts out. In addition, you can express what you really feel without having the inhibitions of anyone holding you back. Your opinion belongs to you and it is very easy to find and connect with like-minded audiences through your social accounts. The recent trends on social media include memes and reels. Don’t be surprised! Even B2B and B2C conglomerates have taken to social media marketing and influencing through funny videos and memes of their own. Humour is a great way to captivate the attention of the audience. On social channels, one can easily talk about their challenges and pain points to meet with multiple solution providers commenting on their posts. This phenomenon has propelled a lot of international collaborations and knowledge exchanges. Thus, social media empowers the audience and businesses to share the true extent and intent of their feelings. Reason 4- Easy Regulations With social media, you are not tethered to anything. You are a free bird! There aren’t a very strict set of defined legal regulations and policing when it comes to social media. As a result, it removes a lot of barriers in the paths of businesses and users to convey their message to their audience. For some of us, posting on social media is a daily chore. How difficult is it? However, users must be wary of cyber frauds, copyright infringement and fake users and accounts. It is better to have cybersecurity experts on board with your business if you are a big hit on social media. Reason 5- Free Services Who doesn’t like free services? The major reason for businesses and the general public to use social media is that it doesn’t cost you any money. If you have to make an account, you can do it for free. If you have to promote your services, you can do it free. However, paid advertising is on the rise and it helps you achieve higher traction on social channels. Conclusion To share a few last words, we live and breathe social media content in this era. To stay ahead of the curve, you need exclusive content and amazing social media accounts to increase your followers. In fact, many recruiters, potential clients and competitors look you up on social media before taking any decision. Therefore, if you are behind on promoting your business, whether macro, small or big on social media, you should start doing it now!