Why is Social Media important for business growth?

Social Media has taken the people by storm, and it continues to grow in popularity as more and more people consume it. Marketing personnel who have yet to explore this avenue should take steps to conquer it as it is here to stay and its advantages for any business – big or small are plenty.

People often think that it’s just a new buzzword and will die off, but social media is definitely in for the long run, and the sooner you learn it, the better it is for you. In fact, as per a survey by HubSpot revealed that in 2014, 94% of marketers agreed that social media marketing proved to be important for their business and 80% even agreed that the overall traffic on their website had increased significantly.

However, small your business may be, social media will always be an advantage to you.

Let’s see Why is Social Media important for a Business Owner :

Brand Awareness

Being on social media makes you more visible. A survey by We Are Social in 2019 found that social media users count to 3.48 billion, and they’ve grown by roughly 9% worldwide since last year. For any business, people should know the business to come to them. If people are not aware of your business and what services you provide, how do you expect them to come to you? When you are on social media, it boosts your visibility.

Also, customers, these days have become tech-savvy. They look-up the business on social media before they approach it. If you have a good and vibrant profile that gives them adequate and thorough information, it gives a good first impression. This gives the customer assurance of your service. In addition, your business’ social media presence assures the customer that the business is legitimate.

To top it all, creating a profile on social media platforms is absolutely free. According to Ambassador, 71% of consumers are bound to recommend a brand if they receive a good social media service.

Social media marketing encourages User Engagement

Social Media provides many ways in which you can connect with your audience. You can post stories, or ask users to participate in pop-up quizzes or even show videos of the office action. This can give your audience an insight into the company and get them involved with it. You can also ask for their feedback and comments, which can help you get better and provide a better service.

Furthermore, you can even start to provide support through social media. Gone are the days of calling a customer service line and waiting long hours for a response. Social Media gives you a chance to directly connect with your customers and resolve their issues in real-time. You must be careful of what chats you display in public, though.

Such interactions can also help you make connections with your target audience.

Such direct engagement also provides great customer satisfaction. As you are giving quick, real-time responses which makes your customer happy.

Social Media Marketing is affordable 

Usually, marketing costs can add up to big amounts. Social Media Marketing, on the other hand, is pretty affordable and very effective. There is a much greater value for money in social media. This helps in targeting the correct people without wasting any money.

Targeted Traffic

Social media is the best mode for interaction with customers.

As you know your audience, you can indulge in two-way communication with your potential customers.

When you don’t use social media, the only way you can get customers is through people who are familiar with your business or those who have landed on your website due to the keywords they used in the search. Social Media profiles help you connect with more people with every content that you post. Also, all these profiles link back to your website, which creates so many channels for people to visit your business. In fact, in 2015 alone, Facebook managed to influence a whopping 52% of online and offline purchases(The Drum).

There are 4 billion people using the internet and this report from Hootsuite shows the trends in the digital world:

Eventually, more traffic means more leads which leads to more business.

Improves SEO

One of the best ways to get traffic is SEO. Gone are the days when just a regular update to your blog would boost your SEO rankings. Now you have to indulge in a number of activities to keep your SEO ranks.

Being active on social media gives you leverage on search engine ranking. This is because search engines have started giving importance to social media presence as well when calculating ranks. Social Media presence gives a business credibility and thus shows that it is trustworthy and not a fraud.

Social Media Marketing is not expensive and you can easily take the first step and make your profile. As you study the trends and connect with customers, you can get a hang of it and use it to your advantage.