The social media revolution has changed the way that successful small businesses interact with customers and reach out to new markets. These six benefits will show you how important it is for your small business to start using social media.
Social Media Increases Website Traffic
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Whether you prefer to tweet or post messages on Facebook, your small business can use social media platforms to increase traffic to its website.
In fact, 72 percent of small businesses find that going social boosts website traffic. Once customers visit your site, they can learn more about your products and services. If you’re really tech-savvy, you can even have an online store that will seal the deal without even asking customers to leave their homes.
Social Media Helps You Create a Personality for Your Business
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Advertisements don’t give you much time or space. At best, you get to tell potential customers about your products.
With social media, you can create a likable personality for your small business. Big companies spend thousands of dollars on branding. All you have to do is be yourself, post frequently and respond to your customers online.
Social Media Can Reward Your Customers With Discounts
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Social media makes it easy for you to reach out to your customers. If you’re having a slow day, you can use your Twitter or Facebook account to get more people in your store.
Just send out a message announcing a special discount for that day only. Ask your Twitter and Facebook followers to use a password to get the discount. That way, you know who pays attention to your posts and you make them feel special.
Social Media Makes it Easier to Generate Buzz
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Small businesses usually can’t afford to pay for big marketing campaigns. Social media gives you the chance to generate buzz without spending much money. It becomes even more important for small businesses who show off their products and services at trade shows to generate foot traffic to their trade show display booth. Social media sites like Twitter have the ability to amplify pre-show buzz with these 7 simple tips to build traffic to their space.
A lot of business owners find that it helps to use online videos. You could make tutorials and post interviews or review products. Spread the video with your social network channels to get more people interested in your business.
Social Media Brings in Customers With Geolocation
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Location-based social media apps can focus on followers in your area. Use these options to tempt them into your store. If someone uses FourSquare to check into a cafe down the street, you might send them a coupon for one of your services or products. Even if the person doesn’t take advantage of the offer, it still reminds her that your business is there and going strong.
Social Media Helps You Connect With Other Businesses
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Social media does more than just help you find customers. It can also help you connect with other businesses and entrepreneurs. Make a profile for yourself on LinkedIn. This will permit you to connect with businesses and professionals there. Making those connections now could benefit you in unexpected ways, so accept requests from reputable professionals on social media.
What are other ways social media has impacted your small business? Do you think it has had positive or negative effects?
Ti Roberts
Great list of benefits here, Timothy. I agree; social media is really great for creating a personality for your brand and directly interacting with your customers. I thoroughly enjoy interacting with my blog subscribers via social media outlets like Twitter.
Thanks for sharing your insights with us.
Ti
For me social media bridges the gap between the “corporate” feeling you get from companies and the social nature of its employees. This is invaluable because customers can relate to people and build relationships with people, not with a corporation.
I agree with Robert! I am always more keen in developing a relationship with a company when I know I can work with a person and not a robot. Creating strong relationships with customers, I would say, is the best thing a company can do to help their business to grow.
Great article that is direct and to the point. This is information that needs to be more prevalent so that business owners will understand that social media is so much more than just a presence that requires thought and effort. Thanks for sharing!
Lola Stoney A
If used in the right way, social media can generate amazing positive effects. I can’t imagine why any small business will decide not to tap into the social media funnel!
I want to add 2 points here or 2 benefits of social media:
1. Improved insights about their target markets
2. Identification of positive and negative comments
Thus help you in improving your online presence and increase in new customer base.
Anyways, Nice post.