There are 3 billion people globally that use a social media platform every day. To put it into perspective, that is almost half of the entire human race. Yet, some businesses are still not taking full advantage of social media, and it is creating a clear toll on the potential growth rate they could be obtaining.
Within the globally known lifestyle app ‘Instagram’, there are 80% of users who alone follow at least 1 business. And with a few simple clicks, that business could be yours.
The world of social media is fast-paced, ever-growing, and likely to be the best decision ever made, in creating a platform for your business. But if this is not enough, below I will be talking through exactly why a company should take on having social media accounts, and why doing this will have positive outcomes for the company name.
Increases Brand Awareness
Social media has become a form of communication and connectivity for those all over the world. The platforms give us the ability to reach someone anywhere, at any time, with no cost. And, by implementing a social media strategy into your business, your brand name can increase recognition drastically.
To begin with, simply create social media platforms across those believed to best suit your business, and the target audience you would like to aim content to. From here, interacting with other users, by liking and commenting on posts will allow a majority of people to see that you now have an account that is actively working online.
By doing these steps, and devising even the most simple content, brand awareness will still increase, as any users may stumble across your profile. Then, kick-starting the cycle of word of mouth, therefore producing a reputable set of followers for your business.
Not to mention that it has been said by Convince and Convert, that over 53% of people who follow a business on social media, are more loyal than any other potential client.
Humanize The Brand
Showing the human side of your brand is one of the best ways to gain trust between the company and your customers. Even though the team is there to provide perfect service to any clientele, they all are normal people with normal lives too, so why not show this personality over social media.
The ability to create a human connection is one of the key benefits of using social media for your business. Show what happens behind the scenes in the office spaces, what the workforce got up to over the weekend, and just how colleagues use the company morals in daily tasks.
This will also make the business become much more approachable and friendly. Then the shier, yet potential clientele will have the courage to approach you.
Create Partners
Word of mouth is said to drive up to 50% of closing decisions when purchasing a product. And, when people get talking about said product, exceptional service or even a social media page, brand awareness is quickly built to an even wider, more diverse audience.
Collaborating with partners or other brands is a perfect way to branch out further to a bigger demographic that have the same wants and needs as the audience you have already created. This way, no time or money is wasted and only beneficial outcomes will be given.
Improve Client Retention
Communication is key. Especially within a business place. Not only is communication between colleagues important, but between the business and client even further. Social media makes the whole process of communication much easier, due to the flexibility and reliability in the platforms.
When clients have a prompt opportunity to make quick communications between themselves and business, it makes them feel as though they have a voice and will be able to get answered at any time.
When businesses respond in a prompt and professional manner, the client will feel a huge sense of loyalty, leading to improved client retention, all from having a simple social media platform.
Keep Track Of Competitors
Due to social media already being so popular, it can be expected that any business’s competitors will likely have a platform account of their own too. And, for anyone, this is a gift simply handed to them.
This is because, most companies would like to be active, and post regular, up to date content on their sites. For you being the competitor, you can keep up to date with their activities which not only keeps you involved in their background work but also can give a slight insight into that companies advancements or up and coming events.
Having this knowledge at hand will allow your business to always be one step ahead, and provide better content, better service, and even better strategies, to show that you are the better workforce between the competition.
Inexpensive
When compared to other formats of marketing and advertising, social media is certainly the most cost-friendly tool offered to everyone with a device. In fact, they are entirely free, no payment necessary.
From posting the latest updates to revealing up and coming products, there is no longer a need to find and rent billboard space or print out thousands of leaflets.
With the simple clicks on a mobile phone and a few snapshots and a post, the advertisement is completed. Even more, this digital version is likely to reach a far greater span of people, through being enticed by social media constantly.
Search Engine Optimisation
Being a business, it is likely there is already a crafted website at hand, and the next step is to tackle social media. Because of this, optimization is likely to be a word heard throughout the office.
Successful brands are those that have a fully completed and healthy social media presence. For Google, this is a key sign that this company is credible and worth being seen by those searching through the browser. And through this luck, comes the potential of ranking far higher in a google search, becoming the first port of call for users when searching for a company of your service.
However, if a user finds your site and clicks to find the content outdated and unengaging, they are likely to move onto somewhere new and optimized. This is why it is not only vital to be consistent with content publishing, but prioritizing the account itself being fully completed and therefore optimized.
Increasing Inbound Traffic
A social media profile provides yet another way to gain more inbound traffic to the business website. And, with marketing through social media, it proves as one of the best strategies to boost your search engine optimization levels.
With regular content being posted, it provides the opportunity to bring new visitors to the webpages or accounts, with the potential of becoming a new customer.
The best way to increase inbound traffic most successfully, is to create regular engaging content, that your already built audience would want to see, and reflects your brand. The more high-quality content that is being released, the better the chance of the business gaining a conversion. This will then only generate new leads that can be converted into customers.
Higher Conversion Rates
It has been found that social media has the capability to produce a lead-to-close rate of 100%. This is due to a social media platform offering posts that can induce interaction between audience and business, with the chance to convert a few questions into a possible customer. And this can happen constantly every day, with more seeing the posts on their timelines.
Provide Customer Support
Another way that social media provides a better experience, is by becoming the quickest and simplest way for clients to receive help from a business.
Unlike waiting in the long queue on the customer service line, those can now turn to a messaging method to talk through any experienced issues, and get a quick and useful response, without the delay.
By having this available, the business will build a positive reputation when it comes to dealing with outside issues. This is something potential clients look for before purchasing or gaining service from a company, as there needs to be clear proof, that they will be helped if needed.
Summary
If you are ultimately convinced that the benefits of social media are genuinely reputable, then why not take the dive and create a business account, in order to reap what is clearly in store.
From simply making a free account on any platform, such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or even Snapchat, your business can start extending their target audience, and have a far greater chance of building a loyal client base, then any billboard or poster would be able to offer.
Not to mention the credibility and personalization it can give to the business, showing followers that you are real and trustworthy people who are only there to help them with the services provided. This makes for a business that is much more appealing to new, potential customers.
So why not create a social media account. From all the reasons stated above, there should be no reason as to why this can’t be the next step into making your business greater.
