Why Small Businesses Should Invest in Social Media

“Social media is absolutely worth your time and attention and if you read on you’ll learn why”

 There’s no question about it, a good strategy on social media can take time and if you’re running your own business you’re probably time-poor and looking for efficiencies which is can push your social media efforts further down your list of priorities.

This approach is wrong. Sorry - it’s harsh but it’s the truth. It doesn’t matter if you’re a start-up, an entrepreneur, a small business or a company, social media is absolutely worth your time and attention and if you read on you’ll learn why.  

100% FREE MARKETING

It costs you absolutely nothing to set up a brand account on any of the social media and if you think about all the marketing options available to your business, there aren’t many that are free. In fact, the most powerful traditional free marketing is word of mouth, and social media is just a digital word of mouth tool.

“View it [social media] as an opportunity rather than a burden”

 Think of everything you could do to promote your business and product without paying a cent – sales announcements, new product launches and growing your brand’s profile and awareness, Take a moment to really think about what an amazing opportunity this is to grow and establish your business. Stop focusing on the time and effort spent or any other stress points and instead view it as an opportunity rather than a burden. So why aren’t you taking the opportunity by the balls (ahem) horns and running with it?

Yes, there are paid elements to social media but you don’t have to use them - the choice is up to you and your budget.

BUILD A LOYAL FAN BASE

“A lot of the power about how and when a brand should be contacted belongs to the consumer”

 In the last 15 years how a consumer interacts with a brand has changed. In the past businesses would tell us what we wanted, how and when we could contact them and what we could say. Now consumers and brands have two-way communication where a lot of the power about how and when a brand should be contacted belongs to the consumer. The benefits of this aren’t just for the consumer, a brand now has the opportunity to collect, understand and respond to invaluable feedback in real-time to create a truly desirable and successful product.

This two-way communication has also evolved the type of relationship that we have with a brand – it’s moved from being a transactional and distant one to a closer and more emotional relationship. Through social media customers have come to understand the people behind a brand, what inspires the people and products, the design process for new products, the brand’s personality, it’s values and ethos. As a result, we stop thinking of a brand as a series of products and instead see it as something more human – something we can feel emotional about, be loyal to

INCREASE YOUR BRAND REACH

It used to be tricky to get your name out there, until the internet and social media arrived. And A LOT of us are on social media …

Source: Sensis Social Media Report 2017

Source: Sensis Social Media Report 2017

“It’s not just about customers - it’s also a fantastic way to meet other businesses you can work with to promote your product”

For this reason social media is a great way to build your audience, grow your customer base and create sizzle and excitement for your products. Shares, tagging, comments, likes and (appropriate) hashtags are all great ways to publicise your product.

It’s not just about customers - it’s also a fantastic way to meet other businesses you can work with to promote your product. By getting your product showcased and your business tagged on another company’s social media channel, you’re introducing your brand and products to an all new customer base. This can either be through organised collaborations or spontaneously because they loved your product.

RECAP

Your business should be active on social media because:

• It’s free

• It puts you in direct contact with your customer

• You can speak directly to potential customers in your target audience

• You can build brand loyalty