Businesses of all sizes are constantly told they need to be on social media and marketing themselves on the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. However, few see the evidence to show that social media marketing is indeed a potent tool.

While social media is not the be-all-and-end-all for online marketing, it is arguably the most effective tactic. Certainly, for small businesses it means getting exposure without spending huge sums of money. Whether it’s a company selling software, SaaS services, or a blog discussing online casino games or sports, marketing on social media can deliver results.

Understanding you should be on social media is one thing but knowing the why you should be there is important. Through 2020, an increase in social media and so-called influencer marketing has taken over how businesses sell themselves to customers.

Of course, the whole point of marketing is to engage with customers, readers, or fans to sell your service, business, or yourself. Marketers keep themselves up at night trying to answer some fundamental questions: How to drive a successful social media marketing campaign? And what are the metrics for success from customer to customer and brand to brand?

Certainly, being on social media is something most businesses should want to do, whether as a core of your marketing or just a supplement. Not being on social media will mean you miss out. Almost half of the world’s population (that’s 4 billion people) are on social media and the adoption continues to trend upwards.

Consumers are now in charge. Sure, the “customer is always right” was something businesses would say in the past, but the truth was consumers rarely had control over markets. That’s not the case in 2020, where customers are more informed than they have ever been, are more demanding, and now what they want.

It is also good for the consumer that the internet opened a world of choice. If your business cannot deliver what a consumer wants, they have plenty of options elsewhere. In terms of marketing, this is a tricky situation to be in. For many companies, the archetype consumer no longer exists. Engaging in an expensive conventional marketing strategy is a risky endeavor, even for major corporations.

That’s why the likes of Microsoft, Apple, and other giants are just as likely to drive a new product or service through social media than they are TV spots and other traditional avenues. Social media marketing provides two ideal benefits: Firstly, it is cost effective and if you are clever enough may cost nothing at all. Secondly, you can experiment and get creative with spreading awareness about your business.

Because it’s affordable and consumers like seeing engaging content online, social media marketing is the ideal platform to sell yourself and your business.

It is worth pointing out that despite the benefits, social media marketing is not easy, even if it sounds so on paper. In fact, conducting a successful social media campaign can depend on luck. That said, there is a tight rope businesses can walk to gain success. A blend of consumer engagement (brand recall), strategy, and content can click with an audience. Finding the balance between these core elements is the tricky part.