When it comes to small, local businesses, many of them believe they are either too late to start social media or don’t see the benefits from having social pages for their business. If you fall under either of these categories, I am here to tell you why social media marketing can turn your business into an even bigger success.
Social marketing help builds brand awareness and loyalty – Your business doesn’t need to have 50,000 followers to make an impact. Being a part of a small online community can Brand Awareness/Loyalty – Your business does not need to have 1 million followers to make an impact on social media. In fact, small business’ have an advantage over large corporations in that a small business has a personal connection with their followers and can become a part of the local online community. When consumers see a small business creating interesting content and engaging in others content it shows that the business cares. Becoming a part of that online community is vital to having a successful social platform. Building a relationship with your followers online, may urge them to share your content to attract new customers that could bring more business to you.
New Customers have a place to find you and learn about your business – Word of mouth is still an effective marketing tool today but now word of mouth often leads to either a google, Facebook, or Instagram search. Do not be a ghost online, have a space (or even better; multiple spaces) for new customers to learn about your business. You can make your content personal, by telling your own story, or educational to keep customers up to date on your products and services.
Learn about your customers/competitors- Social Media is just an opportunity to broadcast your business. It also allows you to gain insights on what your competition is doing to build their brand, and you can see what your target market is interacting with online and what their interests are.
Easy Customer Service – Social media is all about communication between you and your followers. This creates an easy avenue for customers to contact brands with questions, concerns, or feedback to brands. A quick, informative response from a brand can show customers how much you truly care about their business. Engagement like this can go a long way in helping building loyalty and fostering a positive impression to your consumers. Just look at Wendy’s Twitter account and watch the interaction they have with their followers and you can see how
Inexpensive marketing channel – It does not cost a single dollar to create an account on the big social media platforms, so why not have it? The only thing it does cost is time, time to build and maintain your presence on these platforms. Building you presence and audience will take time and can be frustrating but it will all be worth it. Eventually, it may be smart for your business to consider paid advertising on these platforms, since it is still a much cheaper option than more traditional advertising platforms (i.e. print, radio, billboards).
To make things clear, social media is not the only way to market your business. However, ignoring these useful platforms to get your name out their and build your brand would be a huge mistake.