Social media is a hot topic in the marketing world. Social networks are an excellent way to promote a brand and its associated products and services. The fact is all firms large and small should be using social media to their advantage.
The ugly truth is that some companies are still lagging behind their competitors. Why? Because they aren’t making social media a priority when devising their marketing strategies. Does this paint a familiar picture? If so, you might be wondering what to do about it.
Of course, you might also be questioning whether social media really can help grow your business. The short answer to that question is “yes” – and here’s why:
Social media increases brand awareness
That overused phrase “build it, and they will come” is stupid. Just because you’ve got a good brand and the right products to back it up doesn’t mean people will automatically buy from you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a one-man band. Or even a large international corporation like Apple, for example!
What does matter is that you spend some money building up your brand awareness. Sure, some folks might rely on word of mouth for custom. But it’s not a clever strategy for building a business, and it sure doesn’t spread the word about what you do as quickly as you like.
Social media offers the perfect way to get your message out to people in that big old world of ours. By its very nature, social networks like Facebook and Twitter are global.
As you can imagine, there is a wealth of opportunity out there if you can sell your wares to an international audience!
You can attract tech-savvy audiences
Are your customers typically people that don’t use the Internet? If so, it’s time you evolved your business model to better suit today’s changing world. That’s because the majority of people on Earth use the Web on a regular basis.
That means the group of people that don’t go online is shrinking. Do you only rely on traditional forms of marketing like newspapers and word of mouth? If so, you will soon see a decline in your revenue.
By including social media in your marketing plans, you’ll reach out to “Generation Z” customers. According to marketing guru Issa Asad, one of the main reasons businesses fail is because they refuse to evolve. Make sure your firm doesn’t suffer the same fate!
You’ll improve search engine exposure
You might not realize this, but one way to improve your website’s search engine exposure is through the use of social signals.
By now, you will doubtless know that the success of your company relies on how aware your target audience is of your brand. It’s an accepted fact that having a website means you can tell people about what you do without having a physical presence 24/7.
Are you wondering how social signals help to improve search engine exposure? Let me explain:
- Large communities of brand “fans” will share your content and brand details with their friends;
- Some of them might visit your website and even buy something;
- Others, such as bloggers and the media, may write an article about what you do and link to your site;
- The more links you have to your site, the better it ranks in search engines for relevant keywords and phrases.
So, when will you start taking social media more seriously for your business?
