The ‘New Media’ age has brought a revolution in society and continues to redefine newer approaches. Even the consumer and marketers relationship has been affected to a great extent. Brands do not have the very upper edge over consumers. Thanks to the social media policies that have made consumers the boss and if a brand is not competent enough to present itself in a fashion that it matches the expectations and perceptions of its target audience, it will soon lose its very existence.
Undoubtedly, social media has an immense impact on large business giants or the mere startups and yes, believe it or not, whatever you are, a small business or an online store; it is the demanding social media marketing strategies that will get your brand/ organization a place in the eyes of the online consumers surfing over the social media anytime and every time.
Ambassador says, “71% of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. This shows the importance of social media in businesses. In order to maintain a competitive pace, businesses are bound to leverage popular social media platforms. Social platforms help you connect with your customers, boost brand awareness, and increase your leads and sales. With more than three billion people across the globe using social media, it’s no passing trend”.
Therefore taking into consideration the future of social media in the context of consumer buying and marketing is very important because it has become a vital marketing and communication channel for businesses, individuals and organizations alike.
The Omni-Social Presence of Social Media
Social media these days can be defined as an all-pervasive and omni-potent entity which has extended its arms beyond its dedicated platforms. Now, these sites are mushrooming into all sorts of interfaces.
But this makes it all the more tiring job for the marketers since a users’ decision is highly prone to being affected with the social influence they are exposed to in this virtual age.
For instance, it is just a matter of seconds for a highly dissatisfied or delighted consumer to rant or rave about their experience with his tweet and there you go! You get a thumbs up or a great deal of trouble almost instantly!
This social media has immense powers which cannot be ignored by brands or businesses. It includes everything, starting from the content, visuals, promotions, discounts and influencers and can influence the buying behaviour of a consumer in just a blink of an eye!
A Deloitte report highlighted that consumers who are influenced by social media are 4 times more likely to spend more on purchases. Moreover, the influence can be so high that 29% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase on the same day of using social media.
The Social Influencers ‘En Vogue’
Recent conversations with executives at some globally leading brands suggest that influencer marketing spending by big brands continues to rise.
If we look at some studies in the domain by expert marketers, it is pretty clear that brands are relying more and more on influencers. And why not? Influencers are just the right means for any brand to get a great deal of followers who blindly follow their influencers. So, whether you need an awesome reach or engagement or a loyal audience all you need to do is get your brand or business the right influencers. This Gen-Z social media age is all about Celebrity endorsements. In fact, the ‘niche’ influencers have surpassed the celebrities and offer more surprising outcomes for brands than the not so old trend of celebrities doing the same thing.
These days as consumers are always in a hunt for something new, like enjoying a video live rather than taking interest in the pre-recorded ones. It becomes a tough job for the influencers to always stream themselves ‘live’. But technology has an answer to everything! We have the ‘Virtual/CGI Influencers’ who like humans but are actually not! And yes, brands have started exploring them so that they can act upon the brand values and engage with the online users at any point of time.
Change and amendments are always welcomed! And cheers to the ever-evolving social media policies that marketers and brands have to match up to them for remaining the top-notch in their respective fields!
Incorporating Integrated Marketing and Augmented Reality
These present age strategies are being largely utilized to follow online and offline promotions and their impacts on the buying behaviour of the ‘always wanting a new taste’ consumers. in times to come, we will notice no difference between the online and offline modes since this would not only make the promotional strategies more effective but will drastically change the manner in which sellers and consumers interact with one another over the digital media.
For brands, there exist so many newer trends in omnichannel marketing that are pertinent, one of which is the infiltration of social media with virtual reality. It is no surprise that AR-based digital services are quite likely to be at the heart of the next stage of offline/online integration. With the proliferation of AR and similar, there are gonna appear endless possibilities and tools that will make the consumers’ experience beyond imagination since they will be able to better decide for their purchases just in seconds. Many brands like L’Oreal have already started off with this, imagine what’s gonna come next to surprise us!
So, being a technology-driven society, digital marketing strategies have to be incredible that they are able to influence people’s interactions, work, purchases and life habits. Hence, it makes it very important for brands today to have a firm grasp on how to utilize the digital universe to its fullest in order to increase their brand awareness, reach and engagement!
Authored Article by Gautam Madhavan, Founder and CEO at Mad Influence
