Why Social Media is an Absolute Must for Every Small Business
More than 3 out of 4 people in the U.S. use social media and there are considerable benefits of social media for business.
Your ideal customers are in this group. You can find them on social media, get to know what they want, and let them know how you can help them.
If your business is not on social media, you’re missing opportunities to find your customers. Your business is missing out on sales.
Here are 5 benefits of social media for business:
1. Get to Know Your Audience
Why is social media important? Because people around the world spend more than 2 hours a day on social media.
Your customers are hanging out in the social media world. Go there, connect with them, and gain insights into their challenges and struggles. Use social media as a tool to get inside the minds of your potential customers.
You can ask for feedback on social media platforms, too. You can also create surveys on social media. If your business is on social media, people will find you and let you know what they think about your services.
Tailor your products to fit the needs of your customers based on the insights you gain from them on social media. Use these insights to improve the messaging of your services or products.
Getting closer to your audience is also an opportunity to provide excellent customer service. When customers let you know about the issues they’re having with your product, it gives you an opportunity to make that right.
Through social media, you can turn a frustrated customer into a loyal customer.
2. Increase Brand Loyalty
Patagonia’s mission is, “We’re in business to save our home planet.” They build loyalty by connecting with environmentally-conscious consumers.
Those consumers could buy a t-shirt from hundreds of companies. They choose Patagonia because they love what the company is about.
If customers like what your company stands for, they’re going to be more loyal to your company as well. They’ll want to see you succeed.
Social media gives you a way to let your potential customers know about your company’s values, principles, and vision. It gives you a platform to build a deeper relationship with those customers based on your shared values.
The connection built over time makes customers feel like they know you. They understand your mission. They believe in it.
They also get to know what problem you’re trying to solve. If you’re reaching the right customers, they have this problem. They’ll gladly hand over their money to support your business.
3. Become an Authority
Tony Robbins is an authority in the personal development arena. He produces valuable insights and shares it through many different channels. People look for Tony Robbins when they need help achieving goals or improving the results they’re striving for.
You’re an expert in your domain. Your current customers know this. You need more people to know this as well.
Social media gives you more avenues to show your expertise. You can build relationships with other authorities in your field through social media. You can answer questions on Quora, Facebook, or Twitter, for example.
When you publish high-quality content on your website, you can share the content on social media. Providing value on social media before you ask for sales helps you become a leader in your market.
Another of the many benefits of social media for business is that it raises awareness about your brand.
4. Boost Brand Awareness
Lack of brand awareness means game over for your business. If your potential customers don’t know about you, they’re not going to buy from you. This is a major source of worry for many small business owners.
Social media can help fix this problem. Your audience is having meaningful conversations on social media. They’re asking questions related to your market.
They’re talking about products and services. They’re asking for recommendations about how to solve specific problems. They’re raving about products they love.
You can find those conversations on social media, and become a part of them. You can go to where your customers are and let them know about your products and services.
Make sure you tell the right people about your offerings though. If you shout at people who don’t care about what you make, the response will be crickets.
Before you create a social media account on every platform, figure out which social platforms are most relevant for your market. What platforms are your customers spending the majority of their social media time?
Start there. Get on that platform, become an expert on it over time, and optimize your use of that platform. This way, you can maximize your precious time.
5. Get More Traffic
Quality leads are the heartbeat of your business. More traffic to your site equals more leads for your conversion funnel. Those leads become first-time customers. New customers become recurring customers.
Social media provides more ways for people to find your company. This is important in a crowded and noisy marketplace.
When people are intrigued by your message, they’ll click on links that lead back to your site. When fans and influencers share your compelling content on social media, your message gets in front of more people.
Some of those people will click on the links. Some of them will become new customers.
You can also increase the clicks back to your site by re-sharing content on social media in an automated way. This provides more opportunities for people to see your message and connect with it.
Social media can also increase traffic to your website from search engines. By becoming an authority and a leading presence on social media, you can move up the Google rankings.
Reap the Benefits of Social Media for Business
Social media helps you find the people that need your service. It helps you get your product in their hands. Those are the biggest benefits of social media for business.
It doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye though. It takes time and effort. Many small business owners don’t have the time to learn how to use social media to improve their businesses.
That doesn’t mean they should ignore social media. That would result in missed opportunities to build loyalty, drive traffic, increase awareness, and become an authority.
Do you need help growing your social media presence? Check out our social media marketing services.