How Can Social Media Help Your Small Business Succeed?

This past week, Facebook announced that they now have over TWO BILLION users. To put this enormous number in perspective, that’s about 27% of the entire world population. In the United States, 79% of American adult internet users have a Facebook account. Also impressive is how frequently social media sites are accessed by their users. 78% of Facebook users log on daily, and 55% of those daily users log in more than once a day. Usage of other social media sites is quickly growing as well. 32% of adults with internet access have an Instagram account, 31% use Pinterest, and 24% are Twitter users.

Social media is great for telling the world your exciting news, looking at pictures of your grandchildren, or finding ideas for a birthday party. But if you have a small business, having a social media presence can have immense value. Read on for five reasons why.

Social media can be an essential part of developing your brand’s image. A recent study published by Texas Tech University found that companies with active social media profiles have more loyal customers. The constant communication that is possible through social media results in a higher likelihood of brand loyalty. By responding to any potential problems that your customers may have immediately, you ensure that they know that you value them and will always work to make things right.

Social media can help drive traffic to your website. By posting interesting and useful information on social media and linking it to your website, you can dramatically increase the number of potential customers visiting your website. This increase in traffic can lead to a higher ranking in Google search, which can in turn further increase your traffic.

Social media is the best way to connect with current and potential customers. In general, social media users are less likely to view your posts as advertisements because sites like Facebook and Instagram are viewed as social networks, not marketing machines. As a result, they will be more receptive to your message. Social media can also lead to relationship building as you learn more about the interests of your followers.

Advertising with social media is highly targeted.  For example, Facebook ads allow you to target who will see your ad based on age, gender, and location. You can also even target certain education levels, industries, the pages that they like, and much more. Retargeting is also an option – if a person has visited your website in the past, you can be sure that they see your ad in the days that follow. This type of potential customer is far more likely to lead to a solid lead or sale.

Social media marketing leads to increased sales. In a recent survey, 70% of business-to-consumer marketers have acquired customers through Facebook. Social media works by keeping your name in front of potential customers and by giving you the opportunity to consistently give them incentives to make a purchase. Social media can also work to find people previously unaware of your existence and convert them to customers.

If you want to improve your business’s social media presence, it’s difficult to know where to start. A social media strategy that isn’t well thought through or badly managed can hurt your brand. It is time consuming to effectively manage multiple social media accounts each day. Social media managers can save you hours of valuable time and they review analytic data daily to make strategic adjustments as necessary, ensuring that your content is posted at the ideal time with the perfect high-quality image to maximize your impact.

Evolve Impact Group offers personalized social media management solutions for your business to ensure improved market presence and sustainable, long-term impact in the marketplace. Contact us today to learn more!

Sources: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/comc/research/outpost/blog/brand-loyalty.php#sthash.GymG5BDh.dpbs, https://www.contentfac.com/9-reasons-social-media-marketing-should-top-your-to-do-list/, https://www.google.com/search=how+many+people+are+in+the+world&oq=how+many+peiopke+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.6121j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8