“I don’t quite understand why we need you, but every other Surrey business has social media so I figured we might as well too.”
As a social media news agency, this statement is not exactly music to the ears. However, we have occasionally met with it when taking on a new client. Perhaps you, dear reader, are one of the people who have pondered the same thing about social media’s purpose in business. Mainly, we find the wariness emanates from business owners who are used to old-school marketing plans that are free of social media jargon. And, honestly, we can understand their trepidation. Fortunately for us, the result of implementing a robust social media plan speaks for itself. And, wow, does it speak volumes?
Having an active social media presence is a top marketing tool today for businesses looking to thrive instead of just survive according to Vanilla Circus (a top SEO company in Surrey).
It is key for expanding your brand, sales growth, and retrieving imperative data. At this point in the game, not being on social media is almost equivalent to still using a beeper for your business (our apologies to all of the stone-agers out there!). Hands down, employing social media services is the best way to connect with consumers and make your business thrive. Here’s why across the board…
DIRECT CONNECTION WITH YOUR CONSUMERS & DEMOGRAPHICS.
- At the heart, social media for business exists to build relationships and showcase stories. A social media manager keeps that at the forefront of their mind. Behind every social media profile is a unique and highly complex user, each holding their thoughts and network of “friends.” Since social media has become an international phenomenon, insight into the lives of countless individuals is just floating on the Internet. OK, but what does this mean for your business? Well, free access to consumer opinions and intelligence that a social media coordinator can tap into to help you improve your company’s strategies, that’s what!
Specifically, platforms like Facebook and Twitter (or “the big two,” as we call it, although there are tons of different social media platforms at your disposal) are essential for maintaining a connection to your base of customers. You can access what people are saying – what they like and don’t like – and engage in dialogue with them. Go to any major company’s social media platforms and see what we’re discussing. For instance, let’s check out the biggest UK mobile network’s Twitter page for a better visual. Go on – open a new tab and head over to username @EE! Next, click the “tweets & replies” tab. We guarantee you’ll find that, at the core, the account is used as a customer service forum. Part of someone’s job is to sit there and answer comments on social media all day, thus providing an instant response to a consumer’s needs and gaining vital information for the company. It’s an especially great way to learn if you need to address issues promptly. You really can’t get that fast communication anywhere else!
Moreover, one of the biggest benefits of having a dedicated social media manager is online reputation management. Do you no longer have to worry about promptly responding to positive or negative comments? Your social media executive will not only regularly check for messages and comments, but he or she will receive alerts for any mentions of your company online. Received a positive comment on one of your products? You can rest assured that the comment will be liked and acknowledged politely. If appropriate, the comment might be shared and retweeted to cement this social proofing example further. Essentially, it’s a free review!
On the flip side, should any criticism come your way on social media, your social media manager will be on hand to acknowledge it if appropriate and then escalate it to you immediately to consider an appropriate response or even to arrange for direct contact.
Dedicated social media managers can target your consumers directly through the content you publish across multiple platforms. A good coordinator will know how to produce an ad that leaps through your followers’ screens and into their hearts. However, even the greatest ads don’t work if they’re not seen. This is why a great coordinator will also be able to spread that ad around like butter. Part of their job is to find a relevant audience you want to target and then design ad campaigns and strategies that carry out your goals over time.
One particularly wonderful social media function is something called geo-targeting. Essentially, this is an efficient method of narrow down your output to a specific audience, based on location, to receive your business’ messages. Most social networks have the tools that allow you to do this, thus hitting your demographic even harder.
An additional benefit is that people view social networks as more of a relaxed environment than a marketing hub. This means that they are more likely to be receptive to anything you have to say on the networks, resulting in higher traffic being driven to your site.
SOCIAL STRENGTHENS YOUR BRAND AND HEIGHTENS YOUR WEBSITE TRAFFIC.
Finding an effective method of luring visitors to your website can feel bizarre (and, honestly, is bizarre if done incorrectly!). It’s important to keep in mind that all of your business practices translate directly to your business’ “voice” and “image.” Therefore, everything you do (from advertisements to tweets) should stem from your mission. You don’t want to appear pushy, publishing ads constantly shouting, “We’re here! Be our customer!” That’s why social media is so remarkable. It’s a marketing method that connects with your potential buyers in an informal setting. You can generate posts with the same intention of bringing users to your website or product pages without all the nagging.
Through fun and creative content like videos, GIF animations, contests, etc., you can interact with customers in the UK and build a relationship with them. Social media allows you to humanise your company, and a social media manager will share things that you think fit the business’ “personality” and that your “friends” (customers) would want to see. It will help unite you and your consumers even more. This B2C (business to consumer) approach is a disguised fashion of getting your followers to look into your company and, hopefully, buy your products. If your website link is included in engaging posts, you are much more likely to get traffic to flow there than a simple ad on Google.
It’s vital to understand that when a business is on social media and consistently posting good quality content, its website SEO automatically boosts (making it more easily found and recommended). Search engines learn which pages have high traffic and are linked across the web, so when you drive users to your site on social media (with a post that includes your link, etc.), you are essentially helping your web pages to climb the ranking of search engine results pages (SERP). The increase in website traffic that a social media manager can bring you is, perhaps, one of the biggest and least acknowledged benefits of using social media for a business.
- Furthermore, social media networks grant businesses unparalleled access to millions upon millions of consumers – why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that?
- See more benefits of social media.
