Social media has fundamentally changed the way businesses reach customers, whether it’s raising awareness of a brand or promoting a new product or special offer.
The problem is that many businesses have had the same idea, so social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have become crowded with similar ads and messages.
An effective social media advertising strategy also demands a lot of time and the right expertise to create compelling ads that users will click on, engage with and share.
That’s why many businesses have broadened their marketing mix and integrated other digital marketing options with their social media advertising, adopting email marketing, Google Ads, display ads and more.
Here are the key reasons you should broaden your marketing strategy beyond just social media advertising:
Avoid putting all your eggs in one basket
It might be tempting to focus all of your marketing resources on building your Facebook or Instagram presence, but how much will the next algorithm change cost you?
Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms regularly update their algorithms, which determines how posts are sorted in a user’s news feed and ranks them on relevancy.
Some of these changes have hurt brands and businesses in the past, such as the 2018 Facebook algorithm change that refocused news feeds to show fewer posts from brands and publishers.
Many businesses saw their Facebook reach cut significantly overnight, leaving some who failed to diversify with egg on their face.
Facebook also introduced big changes to privacy earlier this year, which will impact how marketers use the platform.
Adding other digital marketing activities like email newsletters and search engine marketing (SEM) can help balance your marketing strategy, while avoiding major disruptions on social media platforms like algorithm changes.
There have also been cases where brands have been banned from social media platforms like Facebook as a result of bad practice. If these brands were heavily reliant on the platform for customer engagement and driving traffic to their website, they would feel the impact of that consequence dramatically because they put all their eggs in the Facebook basket.
Reach people at different stages of the buying cycle
How often do you go on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to shop?
The fact is we rarely log in to our social media channels to find a particular product or service – we are more likely to search for a certain item on Google or an online shopping site.
While Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms are great at attracting eyeballs, those viewers may not need or want your product or service at that time.
That’s why it’s important to include Google Ads, SEM alternatives and retargeting in your marketing arsenal, so your customers can find you when they are looking for your product or service.
Need help with diversifying your marketing?
If you need help with new digital marketing activities or want to flesh out your marketing strategy, then Assemblo can help.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne that has developed and executed marketing activities and strategies for countless businesses.
If you want to learn more, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or drop us a note via the contact form below.