The modern, digital world dictates new conditions for business. For small businesses, just like for large ones, it is important to be online. It can be a personal website: business card, blog, store, creative workshop, landing page, and social networks, the format may be different, but the goal is the same – to declare yourself, your services, to become competitive.
Along with your own website, a business also needs to post on social media to boost business management marketing and related support services. In a recent situation when people were deprived of the usual rhythm of life, living conditions, communication, visiting exhibitions, theaters, and stores, the number of users of social networks became much larger, and it continues to grow. Social networks have turned into a territory for communication, for getting the latest news, knowledge, and information, and became a place for self-expression. They ceased to be only entertaining platforms, taking away precious time. Now social networks are platforms for building businesses, and brands in a new format.
Not to be unfounded, here are some figures from the report Global Digital 2021 by Hootsuite and WeAreSocial.
Globally, as of January 2021, the following picture is as follows:
– The global population is 7.83 billion people
– Internet users – 4.66 billion people
– 4.2 billion active social network users
– 5.22 billion cell phone users
From period to period, there is an increase in the number of active users of social networks per year. We can conclude that the number of users of social networks will grow in the near future, which allows for the expansion of the audience for businesses.
The 10 benefits of social media for business
Increase visibility
More than 50% of the world’s population uses social platforms not only as a means of communication but also as a platform where they get acquainted with new companies, brands, and products.
Increase the loyalty of potential customers
You can tell a million times in commercials, flyers, and booklets about how cool the product/service is, and people can believe or deny its benefits. But, it’s worth showing and getting feedback on social media – the brand’s credibility increases.
Make the social media account a source of credible information
When a brand tells useful and relevant information from its niche segment on its social media pages – loyal followers increase. You can tell true stories about your user experience and publish expert opinions.
Add some effective advertising channels to your existing ones
You can continue to spend your budget on attracting customers on traditional platforms, or you can expand your segment through its placement on social networks, increasing your audience reach.
Get feedback here and now
Thanks to social media, customers can leave both positive and negative feedback about a product or service, thereby giving quick feedback and an opportunity to correct deficiencies in the work or product.
Get closer to the customer
Sometimes it’s easier for a customer to write and find out the information they need than to come or call. Almost all social networks have a feedback form that can help you quickly respond to a request.
Increase traffic to your site
When you have your own website, placing more links to it from outside sources increases its traffic. Links can be placed in social media profiles as well as in the publications themselves when only part of the information is placed in the publication, and the continuation is offered to read/see on the site.
Track competitors
Questions that can be answered from social media are:
– whether there are competitors in the business segment,
– how many of them there are,
– how much better their accounts and products/services are,
– what ideas and tricks they use,
– which posts get more reactions, and which of them are positive and which are negative.
IMPORTANT to remember that tracking competitors, and watching the accounts do not mean “plucking” other people’s ideas from style and design to text writing. Such content will be repetitive and less highly rated by social networking algorithms.
Staying up to date with industry news
Not only can you follow your direct competitors on social media, but also the leading companies in the industry. This makes it easier to stay up-to-date on current events and take the necessary steps quickly.
Get more information to make business decisions
Social media provides important information on reactions, engagement, demographics, and other important data for building marketing business strategies.