It’s 2017, so the fact I am telling you your business needs to be on social media isn’t a surprise. I mean, social media is free, which is why 81% of small businesses are using it to some extent.
However, there is still that 19% that hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon of free marketing.
Why? Well, maybe they don’t have a budget, or possibly own a mom and pop shop that has seen proven sales efforts through traditional word of mouth marketing to get customers in the door. Whatever the reason, one thing I know for certain is business owners create businesses for one ultimate goal – to make money.
That reason alone is exactly why I’m breaking down “5 Reasons Why Businesses Need To Be Active On Social Media.”
1.) Boost Your Online Presence
You’ll hear me say this a lot about social media marketing, but it’s true. Social media is a free way to increase your Search Engine Optimization a.k.a. SEO. Basically, a fancy word for how you can increase your search rankings by maximizing your number of visitors to your website.
By having a Facebook page or Twitter account with a handful of followers, you’re already increasing traffic to your website. However, the key is to continue to post engaging content. Without a flow of curated content, you’ll limit how many people you reach, which in turn will limit website traffic.
2.) Control Your Message
We live in the world of online trolls. If someone has a bad experience, the first place they will go to is Yelp, Google or Facebook to rip on you and how bad service was at your business. Most of the time this was just a bad experience that happens every 1 out of 500 customer visits, but 90% of consumers will read less than 10 reviews before forming an opinion about your business.
If people are slamming your business and you’re not online, how can you defend yourself?
This is why you NEED to have an active presence. Sure, you can have your social platforms set up and post every once in a while, but if you’re not actively replying to the naysayers, your pages do nothing for you except collect 2-star reviews. You can only defend yourself if you’re active online. This goes from replying to your reviews allowing you to ameliorate any misunderstandings or potentially create a return customer out of someone who was once unhappy.
3.) Grow Your Business
As I said before, you probably started your business to make money, so why not bring in new customers through social media? Yes, you can post on your platforms about your product offerings, but Facebook and Instagram have also become easy platforms to advertise without spending all of your hard-earned money.
For as little as $20 you can create advertisements about your product or service that reach new customers in your demographic. In fact, 25% of people who see a social ad, will respond by visiting the store or website and 14 -17% will convert by purchasing a product or service.
4.) Build Relationships with Customers
Now that you’ve brought in new business through your social media marketing efforts, build relationships with your current customers. This is as easy as posting bios about your employees, customer appreciation posts or upcoming updates you have about your product or service.
Your customers have connected with you on a deeper level by following you online. Let them get to know your business better by peeling back the layers of how your company operates, all while making an effort to include your customers in some of your posts. These efforts will turn happy customers into loyal ones.
5.) Brand Loyalty and Recognition
Which brings me to my last point: brand loyalty and recognition. Now that you have a social media posse, think about rewarding them. Post about your upcoming flash sales, deals and coupons, but also make them specific to your online community. Consumers follow brands to be in the know.
By providing select deals and promotions only online, you’re expressing that you value those customers who are loyal to you. And with loyalty, comes social sharing. Your happy customers will be the ones that share your posts, specials and updates to their followers. The more social sharing you receive the more your brand continues to become recognizable.
Did this blog post spark something inside of you to act and grow your social media strategy? If so, learn more about what I can do for your social media goals. Also, if you’re a social media junkie, or are just amused by my musings, join as a subscriber!
