Why Social Media Is Crucial for Your Business

Did you know that over half of all consumers learn about new brands through social media?

If you’re not investing time and effort into your business’ social channels, that means you’re missing out on many potential customers …which is why social media should be playing a vital role within your wider marketing strategy.

Here are 5 reasons why we believe social media is absolutely essential for your business…

Be where your customers are!

To put it simply, if people don’t know about your business, they can’t become customers…social media is a great way to get your brand seen quickly, and by a large audience too.

This doesn’t mean that you can just start posting anything and you’ll instantly see an increase in followers, and eventually customers. Before doing anything, there has to be a method behind the madness.

How many times will you post each week? What messages do you want to relay? Are you aiming for your local area or expanding your horizons? These are just a few of the questions that you should have answers to before making any noise on social media.

A recent study revealed that in the UK alone, there are 53 million active social media users. That’s a whopping 77.9% of the UK population! If they’re online, you should be too.

Social media offers businesses the rare opportunity to connect with its target audience in the setting of their choice, whether that’s a more professional environment such as LinkedIn or the much more visual (and scrollable) Instagram.

No matter the platform, it’s always best if you’re interacting with customers in a setting where they’re already comfortable. And social media is just the place!

Show that you’re human…and authentic

Sales, sales, sales.

When a business’ social profile is constantly plugging a product or service, it can seem less-than-authentic, or to put it bluntly, fake.

That’s where so many businesses are getting it wrong - consumers aren’t seeking out their social profiles to be sold to, they want to get to know the brand (and the people behind it).

Think less ‘see this product’ and much more ‘see these people that are usually behind-the-scenes’. Plus, if you can’t have fun on social media, where can you? Just because it’s a business profile, doesn’t mean you have to be serious all the time…have some fun!

Whether it’s a ‘day in the life’ or a poll, perhaps a survey, or just a fun meme, it’s a chance to breathe some life into your brand and show some real personality.

At the end of the day, that’s what consumers will buy into. In fact, a recent survey showed that 57.5% of customers buy from brands with strong personalities, whilst 51.2% of people have purchased from a brand because of the way they spoke online.

So, inject some personality into your online persona and reap the benefits!

Be a consumer’s first thought

How brilliant would it be if your brand was at the forefront of a consumer’s thoughts? It could be!

Through your business’ social media profiles, you can spread the word and ensure that if a consumer is looking for a service or product that you offer, they think of you…BEFORE your competitors.

How? By showing that your company is a voice of authority and using your social platforms to show how you’re an industry leader.

Get involved with relevant chats and threads, offer your expert opinion on key topics and get your brand’s name out there!

Ever heard of the ‘rule of 7’? It’s not wrong…on average, it takes 7 interactions with a business before a purchase takes place.

So, by being more visible and vocal across social platforms (where necessary and appropriate), consumers will see your brand name and hopefully think of your first!

Grow organically AND affordably

A social media strategy doesn’t have to be costly.

When it comes to growing a business’ social presence, first thoughts can often be that paid campaigns are the way to go…simply boost a few posts and that’s that! However, that’s just not the case.

The wonderful thing about having a solid social media strategy in place is that more often than not, it focuses purely on organic posts, so no extra budget is needed. In fact, that’s usually why small businesses who are just starting up focus so heavily on their social media profiles. It’s a great way to not only engage with customers, but it’s almost like free advertising!

What’s more, social profiles allow for a completely different tone of voice. For example, a business’ social posts shouldn’t be all corporate, corporate, corporate. Chances are, your customers aren’t interested in that. Instead, this is your chance to show a different side of your business and really relate to your customers.

When done correctly, social platforms should help enable businesses to grow affordably by reaching the right audience in their preferred ‘space’.

Have your say!

To quote Oscar Wilde, “there is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about”.

Whether you believe that or not, when it comes to your business’ reputation, it’s certainly an advantage to be able to manage what is being said about you and to at least be able to respond or do some level of ‘damage control’.

What’s more, comments through various social media platforms allow business owners to be more interactive and hands-on than ever before.

Where businesses do go wrong, however, is by either ignoring negative feedback or simply burying their heads in the sand by deleting anything that’s less-than-glowing.

Not only is this far from authentic, but it can in fact be more damaging for a business. Not only do consumers need to be heard, they deserve to be responded to in a timely manner.

Along with providing a ‘sounding board’ for feedback, social media is an invaluable support tool.

If a consumer has an issue with a product or needs general support and aftercare, gone are the days when the telephone was the first port of call. Instead, customers can now simply tag the business in question within a comment, and it’s there for all eyes to see…so be sure to respond quickly!

Ready to get a social strategy in place? Not sure where to begin?

Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay.

Whether your goal is to grow brand awareness or drive sales, social media is the place to accomplish that.

We can help you stand out amongst the crowd! If you are launching a new product or service, driving web traffic or creating brand awareness, our social media experts have extensive knowledge of how to use social media platforms to achieve your objectives and goals.

Get in touch with our team of social media experts to find out more here.