How Social Media Can Help a Small Business Grow
Before the evolution of social media, businesses had to advertise on billboards, in newspapers, commercials, flyers, all with small random groups of audiences. These methods were sometimes effective but cost a lot and with no real way to know who was seeing them, and when they were seeing them. Social media has opened a whole new world of reach. Today you can strategically place yourself in front of targeted clusters of people, engage with them directly, and measure the impact of your content.
When you consider that about half of the world’s population accesses some form of social media daily, it is clear that this powerful tool should not be underestimated. Read ahead to learn the ways that Van Patter Group suggests you use social media to grow your business.
Marketing
Currently, 54% of users say that they use social media to research new brands and products. This means you have a free method of reaching a massive audience who are actively looking for YOU. Use social media to tell people about who you are and what you stand for. Let viewers see the human side of your product or service and the values attached. Using social media to market doesn’t mean just posting ads, it also means drawing people into a relationship with you so they value what you have to say.
Generate Traffic
If you are promoting a business online, you should have a website. This is where you will draw your new audience to find out more about you and what product or service you are offering. To do that, you will share content with your followers that entice them to want to know more about you. On social media, you should try to create posts that add value and solutions to their life WITHOUT asking for anything in return. If people enjoy what you post, they will not only visit your site but engage and share with your content and increase your reach. Post engaging content that is original and relevant, use images or video, and link to your website to bring new visitors to your website.
Engagement and Customer Service
Social media is accessed in “real-time”. Users are online throughout their entire day and constantly checking in to their favourite platforms. You can use this to your advantage by posting shorter/smaller bites of information rather than long blogs. There are “scheduling” features and third-party programs that allow you to timetable your posts to be released throughout the day or week for a constant presence online.
Additionally, this type of connection allows you to respond to people more quickly and easily than ever before. If a user posts a question, you can respond rapidly and publicly so others with that question, also benefit from the answer. The main idea here is to let people know you are available to help them quickly and efficiently. The downfall is we cannot be online forever—so you can also employ something called a “bot” to provide some pre-programmed answers to commonly asked questions, saving the more unique ones to answer personally. Make sure you maintain a reasonable balance with responding to answers, or you will burn out. There is a line between engagement and constant availability.
Sales
Social media can play a huge role in putting your product or service directly in front of thousands of eyes. So, you can simultaneously be working on building engagement and community, bringing new people to your website, and also directly posting ads. Using both of these strategies will provide a balance of increasing your reach to new people and direct selling. To do this effectively, you need to use metrics to figure out what is working and how. You will need to track leads and conversions to know if this method is effective and be prepared to change approaches if it isn’t.
The rule of seven states that new clients need to see your product seven times before they are ready to purchase. With the drastic increase in branding messages and products online more recently, that number is likely underestimated. This means that you want people to see you more frequently and more positively to drive them towards your end goal of making a sale.
Social media will not impact your business overnight. There are so many platforms and methods, you will need to become established as an online presence for some time before you see tangible results. Over 70% of current online marketer’s report that social media is an effective part of their strategy and that’s a relatively resounding endorsement.
Social media allows your brand and business to become omnipresent in the digital world. You can personalize your interactions and engage with potential customers in a faster way to build stronger relationships. At Van Patter Group, we can help you develop a plan to bring your business online and grow it with the power of social media. Reach out today to find out how you can build your online presence and online community today.