Social Media for Small Business: Is It Worth It?
The average American has over seven social media accounts, with 11 new people turning to social media every second. With business social media marketing, you can appeal to new customers online. Unfortunately, many small business owners are wary of turning to social media.
Is social media for small business success worth it? Read on to find out!
Expand Brand Reach
People have to be exposed to a brand between five and seven times before they begin recognizing a business. It takes consistent, repeat exposure in front of consumers to gain brand trust and recognition. Otherwise, shoppers will never remember you by name.
Business social media marketing will help you expand your online reach. You can gain brand visibility to eventually generate awareness and recognition.
The more often people see your social media posts, the more likely they'll remember your brand in the future.
Content marketing on social media can help you generate three times higher brand engagement and leads than advertising. Generating brand engagement can help encourage brand awareness, recall, and recognition.
You'll have an easier time lingering in the shopper's mind. When they want to buy your products in the future, they'll remember seeing your brand.
About 41% of brands already use influencers to generate brand awareness. There are social media influencers who have already won the trust of your ideal customers. You can leverage their existing brand trust to encourage new customers to consider your products or services.
As micro-influencers promote your offerings, more people will become aware of your business! You could generate social media followers and sales in addition to brand awareness.
Remain Relevant
If you're not using social media for businesses, you're likely falling behind. Consumers might think your brand is old, outdated, or irrelevant. Leveraging social media marketing, on the other hand, can help you stand out from the crowd.
In fact, social media encourages people to remain innovative and creative. Thinking outside of the box will help you stand out online.
You can use social media marketing trends to show customers you're in the know. Outdated marketing practices like cold calling, however, can become intrusive. You could scare potential customers away if you're not keeping them engaged.
Keep Competing
Chances are, your competitors have already turned to social media to generate brand awareness and leads. If they haven't, you could get the chance to get ahead of the curve!
If your competitors are already using social media, use it to your advantage! Complete a competitive analysis to determine which strategies are benefiting your competitors. Consider which posts fell flat to avoid making the same mistakes, too.
The information you gather can help strengthen your social media strategy. It can also help you think outside of the box. Otherwise, you could risk unintentionally copying your competitors.
Improved Customer Service
Consumers also use social media to complain, ask questions, or learn about new businesses. Calling a business or waiting for an email response can feel daunting and frustrating. Social media for businesses, on the other hand, encourages immediate responses.
Responding to your customers quickly will show them you care about their problems and needs. You'll have a fast, easy, and convenient way to help your customers when they need you most.
The positive reviews you generate on social media platforms like Facebook can benefit your business, too. Consumers will recognize that shoppers like them already love and trust your brand. They might feel more inclined to choose your business after reading a positive review.
Learn From Customers
You can also use social media to learn from your customers. Pay attention to comments, feedback, and complaints you receive. Then, use that feedback to start making informed changes to your business.
The changes you make will show customers you care about their experiences with your brand. It also gives you the chance to remain open and honest. Demonstrating transparency could encourage more people to trust your business in the future.
Curate Content
As part of your social media strategy, consider gathering user-generated content (UGC). Encourage consumers to post photos using your products or services. Have them tag you or use your branded hashtag within the post.
Then, post their content on your own social media account. UGC will show on-the-fence shoppers that people love your products. New shoppers might feel more inclined to give your business a chance.
Sharing UGC can save you time if you're struggling to come up with new content, too. You can blend UGC in with branded content to diversify your posts.
Generate Leads
One of the top benefits of social media for businesses is lead generation.
You can use social media marketing to appear in front of ideal customers online. They can review your posts to learn more about your products, services, or industry. The information they gather could help them feel more comfortable with your brand.
They might feel more inclined to visit your website, contact you, or make a purchase.
Since social media marketing is a cost-effective strategy, you can improve your ROI in the process!
Start Using Social Media for Small Business Success Today
Using social media marketing can help you reach new customers and better understand your customers. Consider social media for small business growth and success this year. With a strong strategy in place, you can help your business grow with ease.
You don't have to develop your social media strategy alone, though. Working with an agency could make all the difference.
Interested in getting started? We're happy to help.
Schedule a consult today to learn more.