Benefits of Social Media for Small Businesses
In the past years, social media has become an indispensable part of our daily lives, from a fun way to share cat photos and communicate with our high school friends. The benefits of social media are very important to your marketing strategies, especially if you are responsible for marketing a business. Businesses in almost every industry, both B2C and B2B, use platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to increase brand awareness and reach new customers.
However, companies with limited time and resources for marketing often put social media on the back burner. Unfortunately, these businesses are often the ones that profit the most from a strong social presence.
Benefits of social media for small businesses:
Social Media is Free to Use
Even if you have a limited marketing budget, that alone should be reason enough to start using social media. Creating an account only takes a few minutes, and updating them likewise takes a very short time. Even if you can’t update your pages often, just having them can go a long way in legitimize your brand.
61% of young consumers use social media to find new places to go, and 52% of all consumers say positive online reviews make them more likely to visit a local business. This means that your customers find you mostly through social media. And there is no cost for this.
Of course, if you have a budget for marketing, you can also use the social media platform’s own paid advertising options to help you reach more potential customers and grow your social presence. It is also important to understand how and which social media platform can benefit your business before you start increasing your fan and follower count.
Allows you to reach potential new customers
When you first create social media accounts and pages, it can be difficult to attract followers. After all, your loyal customers may not be aware of your channels on social media. However, inviting people to like and follow your business on social media can gain you a solid following in a matter of weeks.
Then, if your updates are interesting and regular, some of your followers will start sharing them with their friends. This will bring in more followers. On Facebook, this also often happens when users tag friends in business page posts.
For example, a user can comment under a new post on Gri Penguen Digital Agency’s page. Commenter can tag a friend in the comment and forward the post to their friend. This person could be your potential new customer. This is very important in terms of both brand awareness and gaining new customers.
Creates a business personality
Social media not only makes your name known, but also gives your customers an opportunity to get an inside look at your business. Everything you post doesn’t need to be polished, and a little bit of everyday life is a great way to connect with your followers.
For example, let’s take this Instagram post from local coffee shop x, a local cafe:
Instead of announcing that they’re closing early, posting a funny and entertaining photo of their staff with a caption that explains what’s going on.
Posts like this are not only more interesting for your customers to see, but also tend to be much better responsive than standard “professional” posts.
Helps you build good relationships with your customers
As a small business owner, you have many opportunities to interact with your customers. And thanks to social media, you can do this even when your business is closed. Happy customers can write online reviews about their favorite businesses, and thanking them can be a great way to build relationships with people who support you.
It’s not a complicated process and can be something like “They make great coffee at cafe X and appreciate their customers’ support”.
Provides better understanding of customers
As you build relationships with your customers, many will leave reviews and comments. However, not all of these comments will be 100% positive, and some will be from people who are very new to your page. But contrary to what they seem, even these reviews will be equally beneficial for your business.
Start using social media for your small business!
If your small business isn’t active on a social media, it’s time to get started. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be extremely useful for reaching new customers, establishing an identity, building relationships, and getting valuable feedback, all completely free.
Has your social media presence helped you grow your business? If you think you can’t reach the goal you want, as Gri Penguen Digital Advertising Agency, we have a social media marketing service and a team of social media experts that can help your business develop.
You can contact us to meet your potential customers and grow your business!
