In today’s fierce online competition, in which over 60 percent of businesses have an presence on the internet, almost every business is looking for an edge and advantage to differentiate itself from all the rest. Finding that advantage may seem like a difficult task, but it need not be overly complicated. In fact, every business has a great resource right at their fingertips which they are likely not using to its full potential – social media.
While social media may be a boon for all, it is not a one size fits all answer, which is why it can work so effectively for businesses of all types and sizes. There is so much room for creativity, innovation and personalization that each company has a real opportunity to leverage social media to help it get ahead. Leading small leading business growth companies agree that social media is the channel where small businesses and companies should focus their efforts to get ahead.
However, there is a caveat. Merely browsing and randomly liking posts, or posting a status update or a picture on Facebook or Instagram every couple of days is not going to cut it for a business really looking to succeed. The businesses that are experiencing success have a well thought out social strategy and are efficiently executing that plan. Moreover, according to an SEO Mississauga, Canada company, since “about 60% of the marketers spending around 6 hours regularly on social per week” see increased leads, time needs to be allocated toward this goal and it has to be time well spent.
Still not convinced? Let’s review some of the basic reasons why social media is so important for business growth. Irrespective of the industry, a significant portion of the leads and customers a company will be trying to target and attract is on social media, simply because nowadays almost everyone has a social account, if not several. It makes simple common sense, then, to be and advertise where your customers are, and in today’s world that is on social media. Another advantage is that it helps your brand have a consistent brand presence across many different channels. Your audience will see your brand name wherever they go, be it Facebook, Twitter, your website, or Instagram and on each channel they will be receiving a consistent message. This can help with establishing a reputation early on and in gaining brand loyalty later.
Another important advantage is that social media enables a business to engage with its audience and gain invaluable feedback. Customers no longer need to step into a physical store for you to gauge their reaction about a service or a product. You can evaluate their response by looking at their comments, likes, shares, etc. You can also directly converse with them which can help you to discern exactly what they like, dislike and what they want from your company. This empowers you to provide them with what they want not only in terms of the service or product you offer, but also in terms of the content they consume, the advertisements they see, and the customer service they receive.
All of these factors combines, plus many other advantages that social media offers to businesses, can really help a company gain insight into its audience and gain an edge over the competition.
