8 Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Business Growth

 

It’s no secret that social media marketing can dramatically increase your company’s exposure.

Unfortunately, many small business owners claim they can’t find the time, resources, staff, or (insert excuse here) to participate in one of the most valuable marketing spaces on the planet.

While it is true that managing your company’s social media strategy can be overwhelming, with a little bit of guidance and a “can do” attitude, none of the excuses above hold any weight.

If you try to throw a metric ton of social media spaghetti at the wall just to see what will stick…

You’re going to have a bad time.

If you take note of the following social media strategy benefits: you will save time and energy while also cost-effectively elevating your brand.

 

Social Media Marketing Benefits

 

#1. Be Seen

Your business’ visibility is a big deal. If people can’t see you- they can’t give you money.

Word of mouth is a super valuable component of your marketing strategy, but it’s a stack of wood with no kindling and no flame.

You need an accelerant… which is why companies and small business owners have spent untold amounts of money on traditional and digital forms of advertising.

It doesn’t take a ridiculous amount of money to get the word out about your business anymore.

For instance, sports social media involves sharing short-form media with athletes without spending much money on marketing. 

You can create an athlete social program, personalizing photos or video highlights that athletes can post on their social accounts to build their  brand.  

In addition, you can also work with the most powerful influencers in the field to harness their brand-building endorsement without necessarily paying them (like coaches, top players, etc.).

Figure out which social media platforms your target audience uses.

If you have no idea, you can simply type “best social media platforms for (insert your type of business)” into Google to find more helpful digital marketing blogs like this.

Make sure to read at least a few of the top articles (from reputable sources) and make an informed decision on which platforms to participate on.

It takes a little bit of time, but saves you countless hours on creating content for every popular platform through trial and error.

In only a handful of hours each week, more people will hear about, see about, and learn about your business.

 

#2. Boost your SEO

Some of the building blocks of your SEO strategy are online directory listings.

Each social media account that you create for your business serves as one of these listings.

Each features your business name, address, phone number, and a “backlink.”

You find find many times that the internet refers to this as NAP (name,address, phone number).

A “backlink” is a link to your site from another site online.

The higher the traffic of the site featuring your link: the higher value that link has.

This is just one of the first steps to dialing in your search engine visibility.

For further development of your SEO efforts, check out the 2018 Simply Easy Local SEO Guide for Dummies.

 

#3. Increase Traffic

One of the biggest benefits of social media marketing is driving traffic to your website.

Your website is the foundation of our online presence. If you are starting social media accounts and don’t have a website built yet- STOP READING THIS AND START WORKING ON A WEBSITE NOW.

(Bookmark this article, of course, and come back to it once you have a website launched for your business.)

Creating multiple social media accounts for your business helps syndicate your content all over the web to increase the chance of customers finding you organically.

You shouldn’t post only links to your website, but you should be doing it at least a couple of times a week.

Be creative and be yourself.

I can’t stress that enough. It will help you stand out and will drastically increase the chance of people seeing your content and clicking through to your website.

 

#4. Being human and crushing conversions

Sales! That’s what all of your marketing is for, right!?

Well, your target audience is on social media in one form or another and it’s important to put your brand into the conversations occurring there.

You can raise awareness for your brand which will increase your sales opportunities. But- you have to do it the right way.

It’s important to remember that consumers are in a certain mindset when they’re on social media.

They do not want to be barked at with traditional advertising while they’re engaging with their friends, family or co-workers.

You have to be different.

I am going to reiterate this because it bears repeating:

You have to be creative and you have to be yourself!

The brands that are successful on social media humanize their organizations. They are funny, off-the-cuff, informative, warm, sympathetic, etc.

By being human, you can cultivate relationships with your social media followers and it’s those relationships that will lead to more sales down the road.

#5. Happy, loyal customers

Social media is a great way for people to communicate with each other. Your customers will likely try to reach out to you via your social  accounts once they’ve been established for a little while.

When they reach out, whether it be via comment, private message, check-in, review etc. it is super important for you to engage with them.

If they ask a question: answer it.

If they show love: thank them.

If they give you a terrible review: apologize and show that you care.

You need to be present and you must participate.

When you show that you are paying attention, and care about what they have to say, positive or negative, you can turn angry customers into happy ones, and happy customers into loyal ones.

 

#6. Be the Expert. Be the Authority.

As you continue to post high-quality, original content that is valuable to your followers, you will see an increase in shares, which is one of the most valuable social media actions your followers could perform.

The more that your content travels through people’s feeds; the more you will be seen as an authority in your business category.

It takes time to dial in your content, and it’s not always easy, but once you start seeing the results, it is very worth it.

 

#7. Better for your Budget

Social media marketing is so cost-effective compared to the other strategies in a marketing plan.

How much does social media marketing cost?

At first: it’s essentially free.

It costs nothing to set up a business profile on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.

It does take time to set them up, and it takes time to develop a great organic social media posting and engagement strategy.

But, if you have the time, and don’t have the cash for more expensive advertising strategies, it’s your best bet.

When you decide to explore paid advertising on these platforms, you will find that it is extremely cost-effective compared to traditional marketing avenues.

The targeting options are robust and with the right campaign, you can reach more people that are actually interested in what you have to offer.

 

#8. Insight

Social media is a great way for you to do market research. Take note of what people are saying about your brand andyour competition.

It shouldn’t be your only research tool, but it is a valuable and cheap one. You will need to build a decent following for the metrics to be clear and valid, but even in the early stages, the feedback you receive from your followers is valuable and will help you shape your brand online.