Damisola Oluronbi

WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING POWERFUL? - Exploring The 4.67 Billion-People City It is very rare to find someone in today’s world who is not on social media. According to a research carried out by a team at Kepios, 59.4 percent of the world’s total population are social media users. The first thing most people reach out to in the morning when they wake up is their phones, and with the prompt of a pop-up notification, some people are hooked on different social media platforms for hours before they finally wake up to reality. News, both fake and original travel as fast as the speed of light via social media platforms, with the help of screenshots and reposting, thousands or even millions of people could get access to a particular information from any part of the world without restrictions. The major social media platforms engaged by people around the world include; Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Tik- tok, and a host of others. The liberty these platforms provide allows no age or information barrier hence you can find almost anything and anyone on social media. In recent times, social media platforms have recognized that the world is becoming more digital than ever before, with the presence of online shops, these applications have diversified into providing tools for business owners to aid their visibility on the platforms. These tools have proven useful in the sense that with the adequate amount of persuasiveness, business owners are converting millions on a daily basis and all they need is the right audience. Social media provides a platform for business owners to get close and personal with their clients which builds up trust over time. Referrals have become as easy as sharing a post or tagging individuals in the comment sections. With quality investment on a business page one could have an individual hooked; scrolling from one post to another, adding item after item to their cart. A huge advantage that social media offers is the opportunity to own a platform for free. With little investments in data bandwidths and a couple of hours per week, one could own a world-renowned brand. Although there are opportunities to run paid advertisements for a wider audience reach, these advertisements costs range from as low as the price of a cup of coffee. How great is that! This platform has given many the opportunity to meet clients before they get to see physically, some have even constantly patronized brands without ever meeting the person on the other side of the device one on one. Once a relationship has been built with a customer, social media makes it easy for that client to follow up on subsequent works without having to communicate directly with the client. The fascinating part about a strong client relationship is that one stands a chance of that customer advertising the brand to other potential customers without the brand owner having to put in any work or efforts. Social media provides one the opportunity to “make money while you sleep”. Conclusively, social media has helped a lot of Small and medium scale business owners advance their businesses way beyond what an outlet and a few signages on the street would provide. It allows the business owners to measure their performance and success rates, in today's world social media converts at a quicker rate as compared with over the counter sales.