In the beginning, there were traditional media forms.
Television, Radio and the Newspaper media were the staple of information consumption for everyone. Today presents us with a completely different world. We live in the age of the Internet. This new reality has given birth to social media; a phenomenon that allows mass communication between all peoples without middle men or barriers or editors. This has transformed the face of media as a whole and the term ‘traditional media’ is being redefined.
Social media has become so prevalent that there are millions of people on social media platforms connecting very second of every day and the numbers are growing steadily.
Companies take advantage of this fact and use social media as a means to:
- Build and maintain their reputation
- Market to large audiences
- Receive feedback
- Manage and enrich their customer relations
- Generate and track leads
Here are reasons why YOU should be using social media for your business:
Low Cost of Advertising
When compared to the cost of traditional media, social media advertising is much cheaper. Most of it is even free. For example, on Facebook you can create a page and build your audience from that page. This takes more time and effort, but the pros outweigh the cons. You can also use Facebook advertising to further grow your audience and reach. The added benefit to this type of advertising is that it is very targeted; you can specify your exact target audience’s interests and demographics, hence your money is spent on the people you want to see your ads.
Product Research
When you are starting a new business or launching a new product having a strong social media following is a definite plus. You can reach out to your followers and ask for their opinions as it concerns your new idea. Through this method you can find out:
- How many people will support this new venture
- What are the limitations you might not have seen yourself
- New ways of improving your idea
This approach must be taken with a grain of salt, however as there will be naysayers that only provide you with negative, useless feedback.
Increase Online Presence/Brand Awareness
Did you know – when you make use of social media platforms you are simultaneously increasing your brand awareness and online presence? Think about it this way – if you only have a website, this is just one chance for a person to find you in a search engine. If you have five platforms with your name on it, however, you increase your chances of being found in search results. Here is a hint to get you started:
- The big five formula – Website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog and YouTube. Your online presence will have a noticeable increase when you incorporate these platforms into your company marketing strategy.
After building a large following on your social media platforms you also have the opportunity to create and maintain a positive brand image with your audience. If you are likeable enough your followers/fans will spread the word about you to their friends; and everyone knows that referrals are the greatest tools of marketing.
Customer Relations
Social media is an excellent tool to use for customer relations. It is an easy to access medium your audience can use to voice their concerns, give you feedback, make suggestions for improvements and tell you exactly what they want and how much they are willing to pay for it. The benefits of social media as a customer relation tool include:
- Receiving and answering queries instantly from a person who is about to buy something from you. This way there are no clogs or hiccups in the ‘closing‘ process of sales.
- After customers have purchased, you can easily follow up with them to ensure customer satisfaction. This enhances the post purchase stage and increase customer satisfaction.
- You can do all this with social media for little to no money at all, saving you time and money.
Example of a functional Facebook Page:
Take note:
- Branding is consistent and eye catching.
- They are engaging their audience with promotions via a Facebook App.
- Photos are bright and consistent with company image.
- Clear, precise explanation of who they are.
Conclusion
We hope that after you read this article you will understand why in this day and age every business should have a social media presence. May your social media journey, be both productive and fun (just be prepared for hard work). If you want to see more articles like this in the future tell us in the comments section.