Why your business needs social media, dummy.
- zoeheroldt
- Jun 30, 2020
- 5 min read
When thinking of ways to improve a business, social media is often overlooked or ignored. For most businesses, social media is a vast un-tapped resource.
Whether your business is just starting out, or is already established, social media can be a great asset. Many business owners tend to think of social media as unimportant, and therefore do not have social media pages for their business, and if they do, they tend to be very sparse, inactive and neglected. The reality in 2020 is that to most, if not all, targeted consumers and clients view active and professional social media as a stamp of legitimacy.
Think about it, when was the last time you looked up a product on or a service on social media? You probably found the business or product through a recommendation or advert any way, and followed the link directly to the page, and found all the information that you needed without ever needing to look up the business online or visit a website. The user reviews and star rating on the page also gave you an indication of how trustworthy the business is, and therefore made it easier for you to spend your money on it.
Social media is very often your “first impression” of a business. You would not spend your money on a product or service that has a low star rating or a lot of bad reviews on social media. It really does make a difference.
I do understand why this aspect of business and advertising is often neglected though – it’s difficult. Running and operating a vibrant social media presence is very time consuming and can often be frustrating. It takes time and a lot of effort before you start to see any results that are worth mentioning. To have a successful social media presence requires an in-depth understanding of all the platforms that you’re using, consistency, quality content and perfect timing. Every social media platform has its own set of parameters and difficulties, but for the page to be successful, quality content is a must. High quality images, good composition, professional editing, clarity and vibrancy are all required just to keep up with already established social media pages. On top of this, social media accounts should be inviting and captivating, while presenting relevant information in a clear and direct way. It all seems a bit daunting, to be frank.
This is why many businesses hire a social media manager or consultant to run their social media for them. This is helpful because a skilled social media manager will take on the full responsibility of all social media, blogging, websites and online messages on your behalf, and they will do it well because they have the experience and, honestly, you’re paying them to do it.
Now for the good news!
Social media is more than just a pain in the neck, it is a legitimate avenue to successfully grow your business, no matter what level you’re on. Small businesses, established businesses, young enterprises and one-man-shows can all benefit tremendously from a well-presented social media presence. These platforms allow you to directly reach your targeted client base very easily, and on a more personal level than a web search could ever provide. Social media is about connecting with the people that will actually support your business, not just people who will scroll past your search engine ad without even noticing it.
This is a way to reach your clientele right on their phones, and provide them will all the information they could possibly need to know about your business right at their fingertips. Social media makes your brand feel much more approachable and is a much more direct means of contact between you and your clients than email or a website “contact us” section. Clients can contact you directly with queries, FAQ’s and even orders if you operate that way. It helps a lot with client relations for them to know that they are dealing an actual human, and not a bot with an automated response program. People are more likely to use your business if they feel heard, and customer service goes a long way, so the direct messaging function of most social media platforms makes this a much easier task.
Social media platforms allow your clients to instantly share your business with anyone and everyone on their friends list, which makes word-of-mouth marketing a viable avenue of advertising again, and not just an ancient term of yesteryear.
According to Ambassador*, 71% of customers who have a positive service experience via social media are likely to recommend that company. I don’t need to tell you how important a good recommendation is, so get replying to those messages that have been sitting in your inbox for weeks! It’s so easy to overlook these “small” things, but they really do have a big impact on how successful your brand is in this digital age. REVE Chat* says that businesses that engage with customer service requests via social media earn 20% – 40% more per customer. Social media is often a cheaper advertising platform than more traditional methods, so this can help with the bottom line as well.
Social media platforms are a great place to focus test new ideas or products. Polls and surveys are easy to set up and will very quickly give you an idea of the public perception of what your next big thing is, as well as valuable insight into projected results. Every comment is still a comment – learn from them all. If the public likes the product, great! If not, it may be time for a re-brand, or a re-think.
Let’s face it, clients are people, and people are on social media. It’s a no-brainer.
To sum up, social media is an important part of a successful brand in the digital age. It is a way to easily and effectively connect with the people that make up your target market, and client relations is streamlined. Well managed social media accounts give a good first impression to potential clients and a good lasting impression to regular ones. Word of mouth increases with every share and good recommendation. Advertising can be cheaper than traditional methods, saving you money that can then be used elsewhere. Clients are more likely to see your company and products, and are more likely to spend more on a well presented service or product that they found on social media.
To get started, just start. Put the effort in, make the content and create the posts. Pick a charismatic member of your team and get them running with this. There are numerous courses available online to help train up your team on how to tackle this properly. For a more professional end result, in much less time, effort and money find a social media manager or consultant to help you ou,t or point you in the right direction.
In 2020, social media and business can not be separated. So go get social!
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