Five Reasons Your Business Needs Social Media

There’s a lot of buzz these days about the power of social media for business, but some business owners aren’t convinced that developing a social media presence is right for them. I’ve put together a list of five reasons why social media is essential for businesses large and small:

1. Increase brand awareness: The only way to make sales is for your customers to know that you exist.  If no one knows about you, how can they purchase your goods or services? People – your customers – are spending their time on social media sites. They are looking for companies there. Consumers are no longer searching the Yellow Pages, they are searching social media sites. They want to know the ‘personality’, or human side, of the brands they do business with. Social media allows you to talk about your brand and get others talking about it, too!
2. Target YOUR audience: There are 800 million people using Facebook and half of them log in daily. That’s more than any print, radio, or television ad could ever reach.  And there’s Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and so many more sites that can help you grow your reach – locally or globally. Facebook ads can be targeted to your perfect client. On Twitter, the use of hashtags can get your message to your perfect client. LinkedIn groups can also get your brand in front of the right people.
   
3. Engage with YOUR clients: Clients, customers, whatever you want to call them, they are on social media sites (see #2 above). They are looking for you there. If they love your company, they want to tell you so and they want you to tell them you appreciate their loyalty.  If they don’t love your company, they want to tell you that, too. And while the thought of dealing with negative comments frightens some business owners to death, this is a very positive aspect of social media! Before social media, if a client was unsatisfied with your company, they may call, write a letter or send an email. If you were able to rectify the situation, great! If not, they told a few of their friends about it and all vowed not to return.  Now, a dissatisfied customer will post it on Facebook and tweet it on Twitter to their 100+ friends and followers who then share that with their 100+ friends and followers. However, if you rectify it via social media, your formerly disgruntled customer will rave about you to his friends and followers. And so on, and so on!
4. Increase customer base: Targeted marketing, engaging customers (both positive and negative), and offering exclusive deals and promotions are just some of the ways to increase your customer base using social media. Word of mouth marketing has always existed but now businesses are able to harness the power of word of mouth by becoming a part of the conversation.  Giving people a reason to talk about your brand will undoubtedly increase your client base.
5.   Increase customer loyalty: Engaging your customers and showing them the ‘personality’ behind your brand will lead to their loyalty to the brand and to you. We all like to believe that we’re special, and engagement on social media helps your customers feel special. Those positive and negative comments also allow you to gauge what you’re doing well and what areas need improvement. How better to promote loyalty than by showing your customers – current and prospective – that you are always striving for excellence?

Social media is about giving and receiving. If you give, you will receive. I promise. Don’t expect it to happen overnight, but if you utilize every aspect of social media your business and your community will grow.

What do you think? I want to hear your opinions. Please leave your comments below! If you need help with social media for your business, contact me now! I can help!!

Carole Billingsley (@YouSeekSocial) is a social media consultant and trainer. Combining her social media expertise with her decades of experience in entertainment and education, Carole founded Seek Social Media in 2011. She is known for her ability to make technical and social media topics easy to understand for even the least tech-savvy business owner. Specialty areas: social media, customer experience, digital presence, crisis management.