Importance of social media in digital marketing and e-commerce

In today’s world, the integration of social media is essential for successful marketing. Many companies underestimate it, but this is where you and your company could benefit enormously. In this article, you will learn why social media is so important in digital marketing and e-commerce.

What is social media?

Social media are digital tools that allow content to be quickly created and shared with the public. It includes a variety of websites and apps, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. The focus is not only on the sharing of information, images and videos, but also on the communication with people from all over the world. Anyone with internet access can create a profile on a social network but do so with due regard for age restrictions and privacy rights. What makes social media also unique is the wide variety and relatively non-existent censorship on the web. 

For companies, social media is a way to creatively and cost-effectively market their products and services and share them with a wide audience. 

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is a form of marketing to showcase and sell products and services on the internet. It is viewed as a process where different online marketing channels such as search engines, social media and email are used to reach a target audience or – in the best scenario – to go viral. Through digital marketing, you can find people who are interested in what you offer, engage with them, and build trust in your brand. 

Digital marketing has several marketing types such as website marketing, SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and video marketing. Not every one of these types is suitable for your company so make sure to do some proper research. It’s always good to explore different marketing strategies to see which one appeals to you more. 

Why your business needs social media

As already mentioned, social media channels are a quick and inexpensive way to promote your services and products. With a carefully integrated plan, social media could become a crucial part of your overall digital marketing strategy. 

Adopting e-commerce on social media is powerful because it allows customers to discover your business and products in one click and, best of all, find what they wouldn’t normally look for on an e-commerce platform. It is especially important for smaller niche brands since in most cases they do not have a large budget for an e-commerce platform. While it may take you longer to find your place on social media, it’s also the best way for potential customers to get to know your business better and create a long-term bond. In addition to future customers, you will also find competitors on the web, about whom you can learn more and thus stay up to date. 

At the same time, you could connect with other companies in the same niche and form a potential collaboration. Social media platforms also allow you to create interactive campaigns that help go viral. This could be group discounts or interactive competitions, for example. 

Top 8 reasons why social media matters

• You increase your brand awareness

• You’ll attract an audience on a budget

• You learn more about your competition

• You can market your products and services more effectively

• You keep your customers up to date

• You can reach your customers faster

• You can increase customer loyalty

• You can connect with potential partners

If you want to build your own web shop or have questions relating to e-commerce development platforms or apps, read our blog posts for Shopify and Shopware. Our dedicated outsourcing team can be your collaborator in e-commerce.