7 Reasons Social Media is Vital to Your Business’ Credibility & Success

19 Aug 7 Reasons Social Media is Vital to Your Business’ Credibility & Success

For many small business owners, social media is one of those things they know they should be actively engaging, but struggle to keep up with.  It’s like the dark cloud hanging in the back of your mind, constantly reminding you that you’re missing out on great opportunities, but producing little in the way of creative ambition.

Chances are, however, that you have made it as far as creating a page for your business. So what stands in the way of pressing into the social media frenzy, and taking hold of all the rewards that await you?  Well, there are many reasons, but most business owners swear they just don’t have the time.  This may be true, but as the saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”  So it may not simply be a lack of time, rather, you’re probably just not convinced of the Return of Time Investment.

Below are 7 reasons why social media is crucial to your business.  These will help you understand why having a consistent social media presence is a critical factor when looking to brand your business.  Regardless of what industry you’re in.

Reason 1: Everyone Is Doing It

Okay, I’ll admit, this isn’t always a great reason for doing something. However, when it comes to business trends, do you really want to be the odd man out?  The truth is, social media has drastically impacted the way consumers buy products, and with users spending 1 in every 5 minutes on social networks, it’s wise to let them know you exist. In todays evolving consumer landscape, it’s becoming more and more critical for you to match the way you market your products & services to the way people are buying those products & services.  People don’t want to be sold.  At least not in a traditional sense.  Today’s buyers are much more savvy.  They want to be educated.  Serving up content that educates your target audience, will build trust and establish you as an industry expert.

Reason 2:  It’s Much Cheaper Than Traditional Marketing!

It used to be that if you were going to actively market your business to the masses, you’d have to spend a fortune on producing high quality television or radio spots, and then spend even more to air those commercials.  Where as there is still some value in these forms of advertising, social media allows small businesses to reach an unlimited sea of people without spending a fortune. Once you’ve established a group of followers, you have the opportunity to put your brand in front of their faces multiple times a day with just a click of a button.

Reason 3: Building Long-Lasting Relationships

This leads my to my third point.  Marketing has changed. As I already mentioned, people don’t want to be blasted with sales pitches all day.  Doing this will erode your fan base faster than anything.  You need tounderstand the conversations people are already having about your product or service, and find ways to engage and move that conversation forward. It’s not about your agenda. By engaging a related post or comment, you’re able to get to know people on a personal basis. The added benefit is there’s also an audience paying attention to what you’re saying.  Not only are you engaging that individual, you’re also engaging their entire circle of influence.

Reason 4: Highly Targeted Advertising

With the overwhelming majority of Americans having created personal profiles on at least one social media network, you’re able to dial in your paid advertising to target consumers based on their age, sex, location, and very specific interests.  This is huge.  I recently saw a 30 second infomercial on a spinning cat toy.  In fact, I’ve seen this commercial several times.  Thing is, I don’t own a cat.  Neither do 71% of other American households. However, a pet shop owner can target an audience on Facebook with extreme precision.  With just a couple clicks, she could be marketing her cat toy to fellow cat lovers with 100% accuracy.

Reason 5: It’s Very Cost Effective, Which Means Great ROI

Not to belabor the point, but posting to social media sites is extremely cost effective in that you’re able to post unlimited updates for nothing.  According to Forbes, for those who are measuring their paid social media ROI, the average return was a whopping 95%.  What’s more, nearly one-third (30%) of those in the survey reported a ROI of at least 150%!  Here’s what that means.  You invest $1. You get $1.95.  Invest $1,000.  Get $1,995.  You get the idea.  Those are serious gains.  Where else can you get that kind of return!?

Reason 6: You Can Sell Products Directly Through Social Media

A relatively new development is that users can create a virtual shop on their Facebook business page.  By utilizing these plug-ins, you can sell products straight to your fan base on Facebook, without them ever having to visit your website.  Truth is, we’re becoming lazier and lazier as a society.  The logic follows that the easier you make it to purchase an item, the higher rate of conversion you’ll experience.

Reason 7:  Search Engines Love Social Media

You want your business to rank on Google, don’t you?  Social media is a great way to help accomplish this.  Google allows live tweets from Twitter in the search results, and your Facebook business page will also appear.  The more followers you have, the more those followers engage with your content by sharing or liking your posts, the more Google will recognize you as a trusted and authoritative source in your industry. The more authoritative Google believes you are, the higher you’ll rank in the search results.

Conclusion:

Regardless of your industry, it’s important to have a social presence and engage with your repeat and potential customers.  Today’s consumers enjoy businesses that are personal and real.  A company that displays their authenticity, trustworthiness, and concern for their customer’s well-being, will establish credibility for years to come.  Is it worth the investment? The answer is a resounding yes. So, if you’re not in the game, you should be. Don’t make excuses.  Instead, make plans for accomplishing your goals.  Where there’s a will, there is always a way.

If you need help creating a social media strategy, I’m here to help.  Visitwww.brownboxbranding.com and get in touch.