As a small business owner and entrepreneur, you’re constantly researching for new ways and strategies to get your brands on the radar of your target market. If you don’t already, using social media for your business is a best way to engage with existing customers as well as attract new ones. With 42% of total world’s population spending average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day in their social media account, you have easier access to the wider market and large audience base to target and expand your business and brand.
With more and more people joining social media and using it regularly and efficiently, the social media industry is bound to become larger in the coming years. It’s booming like never before and the wave isn’t ending anytime soon. And your business should take advantage of it if you want it to survive. Many customer use social media to learn more about brands, and all brands, big and small, have the opportunity to share their product or service with social media users. Years ago, businesses were skeptical of using social media for marketing, but now you will find that it is a significant part of their marketing efforts.
Social media for a small business can feel overwhelming and not easy, especially if you’re a small business owner managing operations on your own or with a small team. Social media does make spreading the word about your small business faster or easier. By having an active social media presence, you can start building relationships with your target audience. When it comes to managing social channels on your own, you can pick 2-3 channels that fit best to your business based on your offerings.
There are many ways that the small business can benefit from social media marketing. Here we discuss the most important benefits that you can take advantage of & contact us for more information
Efficient and cost effective marketing platform (it’s mostly free): It is free to set up social profiles for your business and post self writing contents. But, only fewer people may see your posts based on the quality of the content. If you’d wish to go the extra mile to promote it further, paying for promotion will help increase exposure.
You can promote your business on any social channels (mostly all works in the same way) for any budget. They will automatically direct your ad toward users that are interested in what you’re advertising. Once you do, you’ll understand that reaching out through a social media campaign is not any more complicated than traditional marketing. In fact, it can be more efficient as it allows you to reach a targeted group. You can select the location and demographics such as location, age group, gender etc to which your ads will be delivered. This means you aren’t wasting ad spend showing your products or services to people who are not interested. Despite small increases, it is still one of the cheapest ways to advertise.
Connect with your target audience: Not everyone will be found on all social channels. But, most people spend time on at least one social media platform. People are engaged into social channels so much so that, they keep checking the updates every often even during their vacation time as shown in the picture above. This opens up lots of opportunity to leverage and enable you to connect with your audience on an emotional level, but it also means you can provide engaging visuals as well as useful information and facts. These different modes help you build a stronger bond with your viewers, ultimately leading them to be customers.
Increase brand awareness: Gaining brand recognition is one of any business’ most important marketing goals. That’s because consumers want to buy brands they recognize. Thankfully, social media allows for easy and effective brand building. Social media has a benefit over traditional media because with nearly half of the world’s population using social platforms, it can get your brand in front of people much more quickly and easily. Furthermore, it gets your audience looking at your brand even when they aren’t thinking about your brand or product. Consider that 60 percent of Instagram users say they discover new products on the platform. On the other hand, many reputable chief marketing officers agree that social media has a definite impact on brand awareness.
Communicate Authority: Customers are more and more savvier and more sensitive about which businesses they support. Before making a purchase decision, they will research; browse your website and other digital channels. Will they find an empty storefront or a rich source of data about your products and services? Setting up robust profiles that you update regularly with relevant content will build your brand’s authority and make sure you make a positive first impression through social channels, showing that your business is responsible, well-informed, and accessible. Look for different methods to display your expertise as a thought leader in your industry—like writing contents related to your expertise or expanding on your company’s mission. By showing what your business offers and values, you will establish confidence in potential customers.
Increase website traffic: Social media posts and ads are key ways to drive traffic to your website. Sharing relevant content from your blog or website to your social channels is a great way to get readers as soon as you publish a new post. It’s the kind of traffic that actually converts because it’s super relevant. However, if you leave you ignore the importance of social media in business, you will be limited to your inner circle of customers or the people that are already familiar with your market or brand. By putting in more effort in social media promotion, you create a whole new channel to draw in laser targeted inbound traffic and get more inbound links.
Provide Exceptional Customer Service: Social platforms have effectively broken down barriers between companies and their customers. Now, instead of reaching out to a customer service line, many customers turn to Facebook or Twitter to resolve problems or to find information.
Develop your reputation as a responsive, caring brand by offering support through social channels:
– Create a system for tracking customer comments, questions, and complaints on social media.
– Respond as quickly as possible to questions and concerns.
– Go out of your way to be positive and helpful.
– Listen to criticism and make customers feel heard.
– Know when to resolve public conversations in private messages.
Benefits with social media are endless. With a bit of planning and regular management, it has many benefits including saving money, increasing leads, customer service, brand awareness, business-to-business marketing and managing your online reputation. If you are not using social media, you’ll want to reconsider your position on marketing with social media, because it is a powerful way to enhance your brand performance.
