While platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook used to be places for people to catch up with friends and share important life updates, they’ve now become a lucrative digital marketing channel for businesses.

In fact, 73% of marketers believe adding social media to the marketing mix has been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business (source).

Social media offers ample opportunities for brands to reach new audiences, attract target customers, increase brand recognition and loyalty, and, ultimately, boost sales.

If your marketing team is debating whether or not to use social media as a digital marketing channel, it’s crucial to understand the risks and rewards. Below, we weigh the pros and cons of adding social media to your marketing mix.

Cons of Adding Social Media to Your Marketing Mix

Time-Consuming

Developing a strong social media strategy takes time and careful planning. In order to grow your following and effectively reach your target audience, it’s crucial that you post high-quality content on a consistent basis.

Social media marketing experts recommend posting at least once per day, meaning someone on your marketing team will need to add the daily task to their to-do list. You’ll also need to factor in time to develop your strategy, plan posts, and source imagery.

A Bad Post Could Lead to Negative Publicity

Throughout 2020, countless companies came under fire for their posts, or lack thereof, about the coronavirus pandemic and the current social justice movement. Be forewarned, one poorly-timed or insensitive post, and your social media account could end up in the hot seat.

Though getting “canceled” is one of the biggest risks when adding social media to your marketing mix, it can be easily avoided through proper planning.

By taking the time to develop a compelling social media strategy and thoughtfully curating your posts, you can significantly reduce the risk of a regrettable post.

Effectiveness Can Be Difficult to Measure

The effectiveness of your business’ social media marketing efforts can be complicated to measure. While it’s easy to measure metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and follower growth, it can be challenging to see how they translate into sales.

Before adding social media to your marketing mix, you’ll want to define clear goals about what matters most to your business.

Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Drive traffic to your site? Or perhaps, use social media advertisements to boost sales? Knowing what metrics matter most makes tracking your performance a whole lot easier.

Pros of Adding Social Media to Your Marketing Mix

Potential to Reach Large Audiences

One of social media marketing’s biggest appeals is its ability to connect brands with large audiences of potential customers. In Canada alone, twenty-five million people used social media last year, up 900 thousand since 2019.

Simply having a social media presence helps new customers to find and connect with your brand. You can increase brand visibility on social media by using hashtags, geotags, and influencer marketing.

Quickly Spreads Important Information

Social media posts are one of the most effective ways to spread information quickly. Brands can use posts to share important updates about new products or changes to their services.

Throughout the pandemic, social media has been a useful tool for sharing information about new safety protocols, estimated shipping times, updated operating hours, and changes to your business’ products or services.

Allows for Easy Customer Service Interactions

In addition to using social media to reach new potential customers and quickly share information, companies are adding social media to the marketing mix as a customer support tool.

A 2016 study found that 54% of customers prefer to resolve customer service issues on social media instead of on the phone or through email (source).

In addition to answering customer service inquiries in your DMs, your social media channels provide the perfect place to post how-to videos and answer frequently asked questions.

The Verdict: Social Media is an Essential Piece of Any Digital Marketing Plan

Social media is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies your business can adopt. While there are both pros and cons to adding social media to your marketing mix, the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.

There are roughly 3.5 billion social media users worldwide (source) who spend an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes per day browsing and messaging through social media apps (source).

The opportunities to reach new customers, attract leads, and build brand loyalty are endless if you employ an effective digital marketing strategy. If your marketing team needs help taking your business online, Asset Digital Communications can help.