Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has traditionally been the cornerstone of digital marketing. However, with the phenomenal rise of social media platforms, Social Media Marketing is quickly gaining ground. In the 2020s, as businesses reimagine their digital strategies, their relevance is becoming undeniable, even possibly surpassing SEO in importance. Here’s why:
Social Media’s Growing Ubiquity
As of 2021, the number of social media users worldwide is estimated to be 4.48 billion, a number that’s only projected to grow. This vast user base presents unparalleled opportunities for businesses to reach, engage, and convert leads.
Driving Traffic Through Social Sharing
While SEO is primarily about making your website discoverable in search engines, SMM can push your website’s visibility and visits through significant social sharing. Every like, share, comment, or retweet can amplify your web content’s reach and could lead to more visits, a role that SEO doesn’t directly fill.
Leveraging Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has become a critical part of many social media marketing strategies. When influencers with a substantial follower base promote your brand, it can significantly boost visibility and credibility. SEO can improve your search rankings, but it can’t provide the same level of direct social endorsement.
Real-Time Engagement
One key advantage of social media marketing over SEO is its ability to facilitate real-time engagement with audiences. On social platforms, businesses can easily respond to comments, address concerns, and interact with their audience in a personal, immediate way. In contrast, SEO focuses more on bringing traffic to your website—a more passive, less interactive approach.
Building Brand Loyalty
Consumers more readily associate brands they follow and engage with on social media, and this helps build brand loyalty. Regular updates, prompt responses, and engaging content create a personal connection that SEO, centered on search engine algorithms and keyword optimization, doesn’t typically foster.
Platform-Specific Advertising
Social media platforms offer advertising tools that let you target your audience more precisely based on age, location, interests, behavior, and even the network of friends. SEO, while crucial for visibility on search engines, can’t offer this level of specific audience targeting.
Constantly Updated Content
Social media platforms are designed to deliver fresh content, and platforms’ algorithms prioritize this. Unlike SEO, where some evergreen content might remain relevant, social media marketing necessitates regular content updates, keeping you top of mind for your followers.
The Ability to Go Viral
SMM presents the opportunity for your content to go viral. A carefully crafted and shared message can reach millions of users within a short time. SEO does aid in greater visibility but doesn’t guarantee the rapid, exponential exposure that a viral social media post can provide.