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There are lots of questions surrounding whether or not social media can really impact a businesses bottom line. I meet business owners every day that are skeptical about whether or not it’s worthwhile to invest marketing dollars in social media as part of their marketing strategy. Social media seems to change at a super fast pace so businesses have a hard time keeping up with the changes. Once they feel they have a handle on their strategy to reach prospective customers, the game changes. Ultimately it can be tempting to just give up on social all together. Don’t do it! I want to provide a few insights into why I believe social media can really impact a business in a positive, measurable way. 

Marketing is about buying attention
Attention is on social media right now. According to comScore’s 2017 Cross Platform Future in Focus report, the average American adult (18+) spends 2 hours, 51 minutes on their smartphone every day. People are spending more and more time on social media than on any other medium out there. They aren’t necessarily looking to buy, but they are looking to be entertained. If you can provide valuable, entertaining content to your target marketing (people that are looking for solutions or products you offer), then you will become a market leader that people will eventually buy from. Social media is the most affordable place to buy advertising space at the current moment. This is compared to print ads, television ads and other traditional forms of advertising that people are playing less attention to these days. 

Social Media helps build your brand image
Beyond making sales, social media can help you create greater customer experiences by engaging with your customer base, answering frequently asked questions and also responding to customer complaints or service problems. In the last few years, brands have begun marketing real time. 72% of customers who interact with brands on the social pages expect a response within the hour, and real-time engagement is the best way to leave an impression on them. Customer experience has to do with creating a strong brand. Consistency is key when using social media to build a following. Having branded content across all platforms such as Facebook, Pintrest, Twitter or Instagram will create a better experience for your customers and will also give you a larger market impact across multiple platforms. 

Social Media is considered the modern day word of mouth referral
The average Facebook user has 176 friends within their network. That means you have the potential of not only sharing your content with your followers, but they will also share and comment on your posts, in turn, giving love and exposure to their friends too! Facebook has a “recommendation” feature that triggers when someone asks for a local recommendation for a restaurant, product or service. If your business is active and present on social media, they can actually give a recommendation and forward their friends to your business page. Not being active and present on social is simply missing out on all the trusted referrals people can give their friends on social media. 

There is no logic in promising immediate results from a social media strategy. It takes time for people to get familiar with your brand. Not to mention, people engage on social media to be social, not to be sold. The modern day sales approach is much more customer focused due to the amount of information and options available to the average prospective customer these days. It’s a much better option to communicate with your customers, give them information they need and help them along in the buying decision. This allows for cultivating a excellent customer base that will be loyal and tell others about your product and service, therefore increasing your bottom line. 

If you, or your business has more questions about how social media marketing might fit within your business marketing strategy, please reach out to us! We love helping small businesses grow their exposure and their bottom lines.