Social media is all about online communication that allows you to interact with customers and share information in real-time. This can help you better reach customers, network online, and sell or promote your products and services. It’s easy at first to feel lost in the plethora of SMs as you use social media for your business. So it’s worth thinking carefully about what you want to use the technology for and developing a precise plan.
Of course, it brings with it plenty of benefits and opportunities but also many risks that you should be aware of. Navigating the platforms is not the easiest thing to do, so instead of throwing yourself in at the deep end, bet on taking small steps, focus on individual actions, and build your reach in a thoughtful way. What can social media give you? Here are some ideas on how you can use them:
Boosting brand awareness
Marketing on social media is the best way today to connect with your target audience and increase brand awareness. Gaining brand recognition is one of the most important marketing goals for any company. This is because consumers want to buy brands they actually know and trust.
Social media has a marketing advantage over traditional media due to its highly accurate targeting and speed of reaching groups. By being active on the platforms, audiences see your brand, even if they haven’t thought about it before or considered just the competition. After all, first, you need to know the brand to be interested in its services, so building awareness is key! In fact, 71% of Instagram users feel more connected to brands they follow on Instagram. Social media has become the new world where the younger (and increasingly older) generations spend a lot of time. It’s not TV, radio, banners, or bus stop ads that are the most effective place for promotion these days, but Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook!
Building Community
A strong social media marketing strategy will generate conversation about your brand, products, and partners and help create opportunities for interaction with potential customers. Discussing with your audience also allows you to get a lot of feedback on your product, build trust and get to know your customer’s honest feelings. Fans can have authentic conversations among themselves, all facilitated by social media. This is a great benefit in the long term – it increases the likelihood of referrals and returning customers.
Keep in touch with your audience when they comment on your social media posts. Make sure they feel that there is a person behind the brand. Making sure they don’t feel like they’re talking to a robot will give them a better perception of your company and ensure they feel more like a valued customer. How do we achieve that? Ask open-ended questions and then let your audience answer to actively engage.
Improving SEO
It probably won’t surprise anyone that a social media presence also affects Google rankings. Fact, SEO requirements change every day, but social media is now continuously playing an important role in improving your brand’s position. Brands and their websites with a stronger social media presence are more likely to rank high in Google searches. Plus, your social media profiles are also the places to share your content and provide you with valuable backlinks.
Social Media as an additional sales channel
Nowadays, many companies have recognized the enormous sales power that lies in social media. Many channels have introduced the function of a special, own store in the profile, and brands are eagerly choosing to sell and promote their products through them. After all, millions of users have better access to your products and services in a very convenient and intuitive way. Is it easy to do so? Both yes and no. You certainly need to be inventive, patient, and persistent. You also must ensure that you regularly provide valuable content and publish posts periodically. Otherwise, it will be hard to build an engaged community. It is best to create a schedule of activities and stick to it.
