Every day we come across small businesses working to connect with those who they want to serve. One of the first questions asked when meeting with potential new clients is –
Do small businesses really need social media marketing?
The answer is yes! People have never been closer than they are in the era of social media networks to connect with the right audiences. Businesses need to take advantage of these platforms to reach customers, both new and current alike. Social Media for small business is not just helpful but an integral part of any digital marketing plan.
The Fact and Figures are Speaking
Thirty percent of the millennials are engaging with brands on social media platforms once each month. Sixty percent of baby boomers are looking for promotions on social media networks such as Facebook at least once every month. This shows why small and large businesses are now focusing on this media to reach their customers. In the latest statistics, close to eighty-three percent of B2B marketers confessed to using social media as the main marketing tool. However, there is one segment that has lagged behind, that is small businesses. It is estimated that a quarter of these entities are yet to embrace social media. There are lots of benefits to be achieved in embracing social media marketing, especially by small businesses. Here are some of the reasons why local brands need to have a social media presence.
Social Media and Local Communities
Small businesses are part of communities, they are ingrained; to them, this allows deeper connections with those they serve. Embrace social media marketing and those connections will grow even deeper and wider. Whether on Facebook, Instagram, or any other platform, your brand is provided with a chance where you can talk about the business, engage your local community members through the use of photos, videos, and reviews about your business. Customer engagement and experience improves through the use of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, where valuable feedback can be sourced.
Research shows that forty percent of people tend to express their feelings through social media!
It is almost positive that someone will talk about your brand on at least one of the multiple social platforms. Engage with them by responding to their questions, complaints, and compliments. Customers are known to respect and appreciate where they feel valued either by prompt feedback or responses. Give them personalized attention and they will come back to your business time in and time out.
Here are a few ways to use social media as a means to provide information:
- Use social media platforms to announce new products, offers, discounts, and price cuts.
- Give band information to allow customers to make decisions.
- Leverage on the power of social media to influence customers, mostly by providing genuine and relevant content.
- Use social media influencers to promote your business, research has shown that these people are very effective in promoting a brand and increase organic social media engagement with those brands.
To achieve these benefits, you need the best social media management strategy! Ensure that you are working with a team like Keeping it Social in Frisco, TX that will give you an effective small business marketing and engagement strategy that is specifically suited for your business.