Social Media Marketing and its benefits in business

For most small businesses, investing the time and money into a social media marketing seem like a daunting task. Creating content, posting and following-up on comments becomes a full-time job that many do not have the ability to do. For small business owners this may be the missing link connecting you with your consumers. Social media marketing increases your brand’s awareness. More than 75% of small businesses use social media to attract new customers and more than 30% of customers have identified social media as how they identify new brands products and services.

Social media marketing helps to validate or build your brand. A company’s social media can inform consumers that their brand is active and focused on thriving communication with consumers. Consumers who search for businesses online are more likely to use ones with an informative social media presence, than one without. In today’s business world, the millennial entrepreneurs accept and participate in social media on a daily basis. Some businesses have become quite successful through the use of their social media, without paid advertising.

Social media marketing also has the power to increase customer loyalty. When customers are pleased, they get the opportunity to tell others about their experience. It allows an interaction between the business owner and client on a personal level, and gives them the unsolicited chance to promote your business or service. As an unsolicited response, others are more likely to believe that comment as truth, and not as advertising language.

The best social media platforms for business

Facebook is the biggest and most powerful social network in the world with over 1.5 billion active monthly users. For small and large businesses, it’s essential to have a presence on Facebook to engage new customers, boost SEO, and to show your are an active business.

LinkedIn is regarded as the professional B2B connection social media platform. LinkedIn is for anyone who’s interested in taking their professional life more seriously by looking for new opportunities to grow their careers and to connect with other professionals in their field and others. Through social networking, you can post about your business on their Facebook style wall.

Twitter is a online marketing tool for businesses that want to reach out to and audience quickly and expect a return of dialogue. The key is to be quick and concise (you have to be), and to engage your audience with timely news and information.

Instagram is a photo only platform designed for businesses to post photos and receive comments easily. It’s becoming an increasingly popular way to advertise to younger audiences, through posting of interesting bits of information through the use of photos.

Google+ is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including search engines and Google Maps. By verifying and editing your business information, you can both help customers find you and tell them the story of your business. Although not a platform for interaction, there is opportunity to share content to show how active your business is.

Youtube As the second largest search engine behind Google, YouTube is a chance to expand and demonstrate your brand in a creative way. Videos give businesses a chance to build their reputation as an expert in the field. While entertaining your audience, you’re engaging them in a way that shows creativity, excitement and thought leadership.

Whether you participate in social media on a personal level or not, it’s essential for your small business to participate in order to attract new business and stay connected with old. Your branding and website design should be consistent with your social media, and can help build brand awareness with frequent activity. Social media is definitely something that is not going away, so embrace it, have fun with it and use this opportunity to promote your business in a cost-effective way.