In January 2018, a recorded 3.1 billion people were active on social media. It should come as no surprise that only a fraction of those people are using it just to look at cat pictures or chat with friends. In fact, Sherpa Marketing reported that on Instagram alone, 80% of users follow at least one business.
Before the internet and social media brought the world together as one global community, small businesses could only rely on customers who were nearby. Today, social media gives you access to a virtually limitless worldwide audience. This has immense benefits for both established businesses and those that are just starting out.
If you’re still standing on the sidelines, now is the time to get your business established on social media. Here’s why.
Affordable Marketing
One of the biggest challenges that small businesses face is raising brand awareness without exhausting their limited capital on advertising campaigns. Sure, you can run ads on Facebook and if you do it right, a decent return on investment can be expected. But you don’t necessarily have to spend money to grow your audience on social media.
If your website has a blog that provides valuable content about your industry, answers a common question or solves a common problem, people will be interested. When they share that content with their like-minded friends on social media, it will continue to be shared and your website’s traffic numbers can grow exponentially.
Build Authority
Social media is an ideal place to establish your brand as the leading source of information on your industry. If you become a thought leader, people will have more trust in your business. This is especially important for companies that are just starting out. Your audience will keep coming back to your website if they can expect to find more useful content.
Powerful Tools
Most social media platforms offer a variety of powerful analytics and marketing tools that can give you useful insights into how people discover your brand and how they interact with it. This information will help you determine where to make improvements and put together more effective marketing campaigns in the future.
Some platforms offer more unique and effective ways for you to market your brand. For example, Emenator gives businesses a free micro-site where you can share content, market your brand, connect with your audience, and expand your reach into communities that are relevant to your products/services.
Website Traffic
Sharing your new blog post on social media should be one of your first steps after hitting the publish button. Not only is it a free way to drive traffic to your website, but your followers obviously have an interest in your what you sell, meaning that the traffic you’re bringing in is more likely to convert.
Conclusion
These are just some of the countless benefits that social media has for businesses. It’s arguably the most affordable and effective component to any marketing campaign in this day and age. So, if you haven’t already, start making those accounts and get your business established on social media.
