We all know that the core of any successful business is a valuable product or service in addition to an excellent workforce.
However, the real question when it comes to marketing isn’t what’s at your company’s core. It’s how are you going to effectively let people know that what you’ve got is worth investing in!
You may automatically think word-of-mouth. It’s the best kind of advertising and marketing you can get, plus it’s free.
You would be right, but word of mouth now takes place more than ever through social media, and with over 75 percent of internet users being active on at least one platform you would be remiss to not take advantage of what these sites have to offer.
Why Use Your Social Media Platforms?
Well, similar to word-of-mouth, social media is free, unlike the print ads, commercials or other pricey marketing tactics you may be employing.
Not to mention, your potential reach is much further on social media than it would be with other traditional marketing pieces, and according to Business Insider Australia, social media is now the number one activity internet surfers partake in.
And don’t think that your business being small has anything to do with how successful your social media pages can be at driving business. You don’t have to be a big brand name to see significant ROI. In fact, you can even buy some followers for your social media pages on Instagram or facebook to get some quick results, even if you are a small brand. Search for ig followers for sale on your web browser and you will see many reputed companies which sell such services online.
The internet titans, Facebook and Google, have been assisting small businesses with their social media and online efforts with affordable, targeted and easy ad campaigns as well as free tools such as Google My Business to increase visibility.
Furthermore, when you have active followers and engagement on your social media pages, whether that be comments, sharing, clicks from your social media page to your website or inbound links, you’ll get a significant boost in your search engine rankings.
Which Platform Should I Choose to Support My Business?
Now that you know your company should be on social media, you have to choose where you want to allocate your efforts.
It may seem overwhelming with the number of platforms out there, but the good news is you don’t to have a presence on all of them.
Some platforms will work much better for the nature of your business, so focus your efforts on two or three of those social platforms where you can build a significant and valuable following and leave the rest.
You can always switch up your strategy once you get started and can see how your efforts are working.
Facebook is by far the most popular platform out of the bunch and is one we can definitely say you’ll want your business to have a presence on. This platform is for longer stories where you can post photos, status updates and gather reviews on your business.
Although the ever-changing algorithm changes can make Facebook seem scary or like your efforts aren’t being noticed by a lot of people (you can see how many people your posts have reached when you are the administrator of a page), Facebook gives potential customers another area to research your business (other than your website) before they become a paying customer.
If someone sees they have another friend who “likes” you’re business you’ve got a peer endorsement, if someone wants to see more unposed photos than what you have on your website, or they want to see what other people have to say about your business they will go to your Facebook page. This is why it’s important to establish your page and remain active in your updates.
Think of LinkedIn as the professional, insiders version, of Facebook.
This platform is where you connect with leaders in business, healthcare, technology, communications, etc., and you can expect conversations to be strictly career and industry related. You’re not connecting with potential customers as much as you’re aiming to engage connecting with people who share common interest in your field and may be a valuable resource in your network.
This is a great platform to use where you can market your company or brand as a leader in your industry, find new employee candidates and start conversations with potential clients through discussion groups and forums.
Twitter is a platform that could either be huge for your business or it could be completely unimportant, it all depends on your target audience.
With Twitter consisting of concise blurbs of timely information that is consumed mostly on-the-go and through mobile devices, your content has to be quick and compelling.
If your company fits that type of criteria, Twitter gives you the opportunity to make a big impact on minimal characters.
If you own a business that sells any sort of product or service that is visually appealing, especially to women and moms, you have to be on Pinterest.
According to Social Media Examiner, 80 percent of the top 15 Pinterest categories are connected to commerce. That includes jewelry, gifts, cosmetics, food, travel, lifestyle, apparel and home furnishings.
Although this platform requires a little more work with making sure to curate visually-appealing boards and that you engage with other users, it can have some of the biggest immediate payoffs.
Although social media isn’t the end all be all of your business, as you can see, it can certainly be impactful in your bottom line.
You may be doing okay without it, but only imagine how your business can grow with it. Talk about a great ROI.
