What started as a basic form of online networking for college students soon evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. Dozens of social media platforms have risen over the past few years, resulting in the average person spending majority of their time and attention on social media. Nowadays, it’s rare if a person or company doesn’t use some form of social media mechanism.
If you are a business owner and you’re not on social media, than you’re missing one of the largest and relatively inexpensive marketing opportunities. In this post, we’ll show you why all forms of social media are important for your business’s success.
Increases Inbound Traffic
Outbound marketing isn’t as necessary as it used to be. With today’s society heavily dependent on social media for news and interests, users are more likely to come to your page. Every social media profile you create is an opportunity to reach a new visitor. Without social media, you’re most likely limited to people already familiar with your brand.
Most platforms, like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram prioritize sharing popular posts through algorithms so they reach the most relevant audience. If you know how to target your audience and create specific content for that platform, you can reach a wider audience than ever before.
Better Search Engine Rankings
Top search engines, such as Google and Bing, are starting to catch on to rankings of social media presence. Social media platforms have made their way into search engine result pages (SERPs).
Not only can your optimized social media page show up in Google, but other sites and pages can backlink to your page. Backlinking gives your page more authority, further helping your rankings on Google.
Increases Brand Recognition
Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest and a dozen of other social networking sites all have the ability to interconnect. Users are able to follow, tag, repost or share content that interests them across different networks. Whether it’s a video commercial, product review, updates or simply your company website, recognition of your business and services can be one click away from reaching thousands of new viewers.
This is why it’s important to understand your brand before making a social media page. Your posts and posting schedule needs to be strategic and focused. If you make a Facebook page and start inconsistently posting single sentence posts that don’t fit your brand, you’re failing to take advantage of your marketing opportunity.
Improves Trust and Loyalty
In her article for Huffington Post, Saudia Davis, Founder and CEO of Greenhouse Eco-Cleaning, explains that a strong social media presences gives your brand a personality, which helps to better engage with customers. According to The Content Factory, engaging and interacting on social media can make a business look more personable, which helps build trust.
This makes sense, as most people use social media to connect with friends and family. That’s why it’s important for your posts to be personable and specific, rather than marketing driven. If you’re trying to sell something, most people don’t want to buy when they can more easily talk to their friends for free.
Cuts Marketing Costs
Unlike commercials, radio air time, and newspaper ads, creating a social network page is absolutely free. Strategically, as explained by Marketing TechBlog, many startup companies have been able to grow and flourish through social media promotion.
While many platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, allow you to pay to boost posts and make ads, these options are usually cheaper than the alternative. Rather than buying ad space on TV or in print, you can create an easily digestible post that can be seen by thousands. Best of all, these platforms allow you to track consumer data so you can pinpoint your target audience.
Improves Customer Service
Nowadays, customers can reach out to businesses via social media for questions or concerns, in which anyone who follows is also able to view. Forbes.com says that this is a great way for companies to strengthen their relationship with their customers. It’s a great source for quick and kind responses to their needs, and for an audience to see your commitment to serve them.
While LinkedIn and Facebook are the most commonly used platforms for creating business pages, companies have also turned to using Instagram and Twitter for reaching younger audiences. Multiple platforms not only help with reaching and expanding your target audience, but also play a role in marketing your brand. If you have yet to create a social page for your business (or haven’t been active on its page in a while), now’s the time.
