Social media is no longer a luxury for small companies: it’s become a business essential. If you haven’t embraced this marketing method yet, don’t worry.
Social media for business is inexpensive and remarkably easy to set up – with great benefits. Here’s five ways engaging with social platforms will help your business to thrive.
Social shares drive traffic
The bottom line: your customers use social media. In the UK alone, 31.6 million internet users regularly used Facebook in 2016, a massive potential audience for your Facebook business page. And if your business has a website, the more you share on social media, the more traffic your site will get, and the higher your company will rank in search engines like Google. Social media is the number one source of website traffic outside of search engines, with over 30% of website traffic coming from social sites.
An ear to the ground
Social listening is as important as sharing. Think of it as a permanent focus group on tap. You can find out what people like, follow, share and comment on. Eavesdrop on the competition: what are they saying, and who is listening? Use social media to build a picture of your customers and your industry.
A low-cost marketing tool
Social media campaigns cost very little money and you’ll be able to reach a large audience without hiring in specialists, which makes them ideal for small businesses.
Small businesses spend an average of six hours a week managing their social media, a significant proportion of working hours. However, if like most small businesses you’re time poor, tools like our Business Guardian Angel social app help you to manage your daily updates across multiple platforms, all from your phone, ensuring you get the business benefits without sacrificing valuable time.
A direct link to your customers
The ability to engage directly with customers makes social marketing more accessible and personal than traditional advertising. These days, most of your potential customers will search for you online before deciding to use your services or visit your store, so a strong social presence and customer-led online reviews will help build a positive brand identity online.
If you use more than one platform, make sure that these are connected so your message remains clear. Consistency creates trust, confidence and loyalty, and it can be all too easy to go off-message in the informal world of Facebook or Twitter. Have a planned content programme and a list of suitable topics, keep your personal and business accounts separate, and be consistent with the tone of voice and images you use.
Your customers are there already
With over two billion social media users across the world, there’s a good chance that your potential customers are regularly online. If your audience is out there, it’s a wasted opportunity not to engage with them.
Are your competitors on social media? If you run a restaurant, for example, and your competitors are using Twitter, they have the advantage. They’ll be tweeting last-minute offers to hundreds of people, and you’ll be the one with empty tables.
Embrace the most sociable mediums and you’ll find whole new avenues of communication and business opening up. Although it’s a DIY approach to marketing, there are tools out there to help you – such as our Business Guardian Angel app.
Use the skills you’ve learned through personal social media, and apply them to your business, and you’ll soon be tweeting like a pro!
