Small businesses may feel that a social media presence is a luxury rather than a necessity. In fact, social media can be a boon to small businesses, and the time invested in it will pay off.
Here are ten ways social media can provide a real boost to a small business.
1. It can be customer-focused. In creating content, the key is to think about what the customer wants and needs.
Providing links to information that are useful to customers will encourage them to keep up with you on social media.
2. It can convey a sense of your business personality. This gives customers a sense of being in touch with a human instead of a faceless company.
3. It can improve customer service. Unhappy customers who complain over Twitter, Facebook, Yelp or other platforms can be contacted immediately. Engaging with your customers in this way adds value and helps to develop a lasting, healthy and harmonious customer relationship.
4. It can increase your visibility over your competitors. Although social media use is on the rise among small businesses, many still do not use it; therefore, as a small business engaging with customers on social media, you will stand out and be noticed.
5. It can promote your business at a lower cost. By almost every metric, social media marketing gives a higher return on investment than traditional forms of marketing.
6. It can make it easy for your customers to share your content with others. Customers can retweet and share your content with their own connections, and this in turn gives you greater coverage and increased visibility.
7. It will facilitate engagement with your local community. Small businesses are uniquely positioned to participate with social media on a local level in a way that large companies cannot.
8. It offers unique opportunities for promotions. A small business can allow customers to make suggestions such as what specials you should offer or what products they would like to see stocked.
9. It can help consolidate your brand with customers. Over social media, you can create a consistent image and reinforce that image for your customers.
10. It can help you build a larger, more loyal customer base. All of the social media actions mentioned above will gradually expand the reach of your business, and studies show quality content increases customer loyalty.
Are you practicing the above tips, if so, how is social media affecting your business and what other benefits can you think of?
Steve Minks has over 25 years of IT & Digital expertise with a background in Property Development, Telecoms and as an accredited Health & Fitness professional. As a Digital consultant with test.icesugarmedia.com, Steve also enjoys writing on a range of subjects, functional exercise, visiting historical places and spending time with his family.
This article was first published on Business 2 Community
