Since the start of the 2020 pandemic, there has been a 70% rise in the overall usage of social media. Coincidentally, there has been a 25% decrease in the number of print advertisements and paper marketing. While for some business owners, this new set of ideals may threaten previous ways of thinking, we recognize the importance of this cultural shift and capitalize on it.
It is no surprise that social media platforms have quickly become the #1 way for people across the age bracket to digest their media, but why? And what caused this to happen?
Real-Time Advertising
Social media marketing has skyrocketed in its overall success as a direct result of universal accessibility from brands and consumers. Ads are pushed out as events happen, allowing the consumer to feel closer to the accounts, and fostering a mutually beneficial relationship.
As companies turn to posting on social media as the main channel for advertisements, brands can now watch in real time what content ideas drive the most sales, thus creating a nearly immediate ROI with new deals and product drops. Additionally, most posted advertisements promote a product linked to the graphic, allowing easier access to what brands are trying to promote; marketing is sales.
Cost Less
While going digital may initially sound costly, most websites used to create are accessible at negligible cost. Most of what is spent on digital advertising goes toward post-promotion; how do you control that? Brands have the option on their respective accounts to limit how much they want to pay to promote the post.
These restrictions allow account managers to better budget and determine which posts deserve more money to reach a large audience as opposed to others. It has been reported advertisements in a national magazine can cost up to $500,000, and a monthly charge for a billboard can reach up to $15,000. While these numbers may be unnerving for some, it further pushes the narrative of why going digital is better to reach a larger audience and benefits your pocket.
Ability to Connect to Your Target Audience
Through platform analytics, such as Facebook’s Ads Manager, you can specifically choose your target audience to pinpoint exactly the type of user for your product. Some of the criteria you can choose are location, age, and gender. The platform will use these demographics to reach your desired target audience. Then through insight tools, like Ads Manager, you will be able to track how well your advertisement is doing based on the target audience you are trying to reach.
If you know what specific audience you want to reach you can choose a platform that is the best fit for your target demographic. For example, the largest demographic age for TikTok is ages 18-24, so if that is the audience you want to reach that is the right platform for you. For print advertisements, it is hard to reach and track your specific target audience. Print advertisements lack ad placement, so you are not always certain who your ad is reaching. This makes it difficult to expose your advertisements to your desired target audience.
Creative Advertising
While opting for digital advertising doesn't eliminate the creation cost, the software is more easily accessible. Nowadays, anyone can go online and create something. Moreover, going digital has allowed the creative team of brands to quickly push out mass amounts of content that keeps up with current trends and does not have to follow the guidelines of any publication besides their platforms. Digital marketing aggrandizes brands and fosters full creative expression.
By creating ads through photos and videos, you can make a longer-lasting impression on your consumers. This makes the ability for businesses to be creative, one of the most intriguing tools of digital marketing and advertisements. Through creativity, companies have the capabilities to showcase their brand’s personality. Social media platforms each have unique tools to allow business users to create various content.
For example, Instagram allows businesses to increase engagement with users through stories and reels. These features allow businesses to interact more with users and increase direct leads. Unlike having to create different content for various print publications, digital marketing content can easily be reproduced across platforms. This saves time and gives insights into which content is more effective on certain platforms.
Brand Trust
Now more than ever, customers are purchasing services and products based on those they are connected with. If a potential customer sees a friend, family member, or an influencer they trust using a product or service they are more likely to purchase it. Social media platforms give their users the ability to directly tag or link the brand they are promoting. This allows followers to witness firsthand reviews and ensure the potential consumer of their future purchase.
Most platforms also allow users to save others’ content so they can go back and find the promotion at any time. At times, a print advertisement can have a difficult time persuading users to try their product or service because they are not seeing people they trust to use it. Print advertising also has the potential for potential customers to see the product and forget about it a few minutes later.
In Conclusion,
In the marketing industry today, the median can be more important than the message. The advertising and marketing culture is experiencing a shift into the digital world. Researchers are noticing print advertising has become stale, and most consumers are making their purchases online. Since utilizing digital marketing, our customers are experiencing results instantly.
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