Why Your Business Should be Utilizing Social Media

Believe it or not, many companies today still fail to realize the impact a strong presence on social media can have on their business. While social media has been recognized as a way to take trendy selfies and stalk your crush (and other reasons of course), it also has a lot to offer for a wide array of businesses. For a business to truly capitalize on all of the marketing tools within its grasp, the power of social media marketing must be harnessed! Keep reading to learn 8 reasons why your business should have a presence on social media and the impact it can have on your brand.

1. Your Current/Potential Customers ARE on Social Media
   Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or Snap Chat, your current/potential customers could be there! Once you understand your category of business and your target market, check to make sure that you aren’t missing out on a communication touchpoint with a huge chunk of your demographic because you aren’t on social media. There are nearly 3.5 billion active social media users worldwide and 70 percent of Americans actively use social networks (according to a 2019 study by HootSuite). Not only may your customers be on social media, but your competition may be as well.
2. Social Media is a Great Way to Build Brand Recognition and Awareness
   Social media offers multiple ways for organizations to build their brand, whether it’s posting and engaging with your followers or running an ad. Simply put, if you take the time to engage with your current and potential audience on social media, you are sure to see some results in your inbound traffic and can even see an increase in profits.
   Social media users love connecting with brands! 58% of people on social media sites follow companies/brands of interest and subscribe to their profiles and content (Marketing Sherpa). You just have to give them something to connect to! Tell your story and show your progress. As our owner, Lynn Kirby likes to say, “always make it seem like you are doing something!”
3. Become the Talking Point
   Getting your brand in front of the public’s eye through positive digital discussion and word of mouth helps with brand recognition and relevance! Social media is the home of opinions and subjective conversation, so why shouldn’t your company be a part of the buzz? Better yet, BECOME the buzz. Initiate meaningful engagement through your social media content and curate conversation.
4. Increase Your Inbound Traffic
   Existing on social media can help increase the inbound traffic to your website by simply linking content to your company site. Bring the consumer you just interacted with on social media directly to your website where they can complete their purchase or finalize their appointment. Whatever the call to action, whatever the post, continue the conversation to your website. The goal is to streamline each experience for the user. Guide them on where they should go, and then give them something to do once they arrive.
5. Stronger Targeting Options for Advertising
   Have you ever wanted to target individuals with your ads based on age, interests, and location? With traditional media outlets, that’s not a very easy task to accomplish. Traditional advertising, such as a magazine ad or a television commercial, can significantly prohibit businesses from hitting their true target demographic. This is where social media and digital marketing offer a beautiful alternative! Targeting your most ideal customers, based on the previously mentioned parameters, is incredibly helpful for making sure your ad is reaching the right individuals. Now your company can save money, knowing that your ad is reaching people who want or need to see it.
6. Cost-Effective Marketing
   Marketing on social media is incredibly cost-effective. Once printing costs and the cost of other materials are eliminated, a company can begin to see the price difference. The great thing is that the money that would have been spent on those items, can now be applied to the social media ad itself. What makes social media marketing/advertising so cost-effective is how easily (and affordably) you can post an ad in front of the eyes of your “ideal” consumer.
7. Search-Engine Optimization
   Odds are, you and your company are already very aware of the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) and how it affects your online visibility. If you aren’t, you can learn more HERE. However, did you know that search engines may be using your social media presence as a factor in your search rankings? While the factors that feed into search rankings are always changing, having a strong social network presence is sure to benefit your SEO.
8. Brand Image and Voice
   Posting and interacting on social platforms offers companies the ability to connect people with a human voice. It can also lead to higher conversion rates of potential consumers and purchasing customers. By posting valuable content that encourages honest interaction with your consumer base, you can begin to build trust with the customer. This earned trust can even lead to brand loyalty and a customer base who will follow you throughout your business ventures!

On top of all of the benefits of social media, the most important is the tracking that you can do! Almost every social platform has some form of metrics for businesses to capitalize on. We would love to go over that in this post, but we would need a whole day. We will cover it in another post soon! In the meantime, start embracing social networking as a business today and begin reaching new consumers. If you aren’t sure how to start or need some help, why not give us a call? We are positive that we can help you take your social media to a great place and help incentivize your consumers to take action!