05/10/2016
Did you know that over 67% of consumers now head to social media for customer service? If your business isn’t online, it needs to be; it’s as simple as that. The world isn’t going digital, it’s already gone; and if your business isn’t utilising social media you really are missing a trick.
I’m sure you’ve heard some of the main reasons why you should make use of social media marketing;you can share content faster and easier, increase brand awareness, increase customer loyalty and provide a richer, fuller customer experience. But these aren’t the only benefits, much like recycling, the possibilities are endless.
Let me walk you through some lesser discussed perks of social media for business.
Targeted Content
Social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have tools that allow you to communicate directly to the audience that matters. For instance, if you are the owner of an Italian restaurant in Brighton – while having followers in Newcastle is nice, it won’t convert – use geo-targeting to hit social media users in Brighton. Maybe you own a sportswear shop? Target users that have liked sport pages. Whatever your niche, you can refine and target them.
So yeah, you can share content faster and easier but social media also helps you find and kick-start conversations relevant to your brand, based on age, gender, location, interests and even job titles.
Gain Valuable Customer Insights
One of the best things about being active on social is the direct access to your audience. Every day 500 million tweets are sent, there are 4.5 billion Likes on Facebook and 95 million photos and videos uploaded to Instagram. More importantly, however, is the wealth of information about your customers behind these statistics – what are they talking about, who are they engaging with and how do they feel about your brand?
Through daily activity and social listening, you can gather vital data about your customers for free; this will help you to create better content and make better business decisions.
Competitor Research
If you are a regular social media user then you’ll already know the ‘stalking’ capabilities it allows; but think less ex-girlfriend and more tactical
business move. From the comfort of your computer you can find out your competitor prices, their brand voice, any offers/promotions or competitions they’re running – and how they use social media for their business.
Use the openness of social media to your advantage; connect with your competitors’ audience, follow their influencers and question yourself – what are they doing that you aren’t? And why?
Oh, have I mentioned that being active on social media generates higher conversion rates too? In the State of Social Selling in 2015, nearly 75 percent of companies that engaged in selling on social media reported an increase in sales in 12 months. The frustrating thing with social media marketing is that there’s no guarantee – but are you willing to pass up the opportunity?
Need help getting to grips with social? We can help. Want daily advice on marketing your business? Check us out on Facebook.
