1. Social Media Promotes Customer Engagement
Social media is a great way to convert passive observers into active participants in your business. Sharing, liking, following and commenting all help customers feel personally connected to your company.
That personal touch is becoming more important as years go by. People are turned off by the large robotic corporation and are seeking out companies that exhibit a strong personality, with employees that are similar to themselves.
Not only can social media help your customers feel connected, but it also helps them feel appreciated. If you make a point of replying quickly to comments and messages from customers and are sympathetic to their needs, they’ll likely return the favor in the long run by becoming consistent customers.
Also, social media makes it easy to use humor effectively to connect and engage with a large audience, another thing that the modern consumer appreciates. Check out this exchange in the Twitter feud between Old Spice and Taco Bell:
Similar to how a sense of humor is an attractive trait in a personal relationship, it also makes a businesses more attractive in the eyes of a consumer. Customers see the tweet, and if they think it’s funny, they’ll probably like/comment on it and the business will be seen in a positive light from that point on.
Using humor on social media can also help you get a message across without sounding too domineering or profit hungry. For example, take a look at this tweet from Chipotle Mexican Grill:
Here, Chipotle is using twitter as a platform to address a problem that cuts into their profit margins without sounding too greedy.
If they said something like “Stop taking our Tabasco sauce bottles, it costs us money,” it’s almost certain more people would take the bottles.
But because they broach the subject with humor, people are more likely to respect their request and think twice before adding to their Tabasco sauce collection.
2. Social Media Allows For Specific Targeting
Another benefit of using social media for your business is that it allows you to target a specific audience with your posts or ads.
For example, Facebook allows you to select filters in five main categories when targeting a specific audience:
Demographics: Age, gender, relationship status, job titles, ect…
Location: Select the country, city, community, or even zip-code you would like to reach.
Interests: What are common interests of your target audience? Movies? Sports? Facebook helps you find this information so you can create an effective ad for your businesses.
Behavior: This category takes into account things like purchasing patterns and device usage. People who have bought similar products and services to those that you offer are more likely to buy from you in the future.
Connections: Choose to reach people who are connected with you or find a new audience for your targeted ad or post.
3. Social Media Improves Search Ranking
Social media indirectly helps your small business’s website achieve a higher search ranking.
If more people share your content with friends, family and other people in their lives, that means there will be more links going back to your website. This is very important because links are a MAJOR factor in the algorithm Google uses to evaluate which websites will appear at the top of search rankings.
If you’re already creating content for your business through a blog or other medium, why not link it to all your social profiles?
An easy way to do this is by using If This Then That (IFTTT), which is a free program designed to automate the process of posting from one content source to another.
When executed properly, social media can be an effective tool in your SEO toolbox.
However, there are many other factors that go into optimizing your website for searches.
To learn how to directly improve the search ranking of your small business’s website, check out this article: Does Your Website Address These 7 Critical SEO Factors?
4. Social Media Helps Solidify Your Brand
Having social media accounts for your business across several platforms can be a very effective way to imprint your brand in the mind of the consumer.
They log into Facebook and they see your ad.
They switch over to Twitter and read about the recent hire you made.
Instagram? You’ve just uploaded a picture of a new product release.
This across-the-board coverage helps to build both conscious and unconscious awareness of your brand so that the next time the individual needs a product/service, they’ll think of your brand.
It’s almost like having a series of mini billboards in the palm of your customers hand!
Set Your Business Up For Success With Social Media
In a world that’s increasingly reliant on the internet, it’s vitally important that your business respects the changing times.
Take these 4 points into consideration when deciding how you would like to use social media for your small business!
