If you’re not the kind of person who likes to “check in” on Facebook when you visit someplace new or post photos of every weekend getaway on Instagram, you probably don’t understand the appeal and impact of social media. But there are billions of active users on various social media platforms, and if you don’t have a presence on at least a few of them, you’re missing out on countless potential leads.
Still not convinced? Allow me to present some additional reasons why social media is a must for your business.
It’s instrumental in the “delight” portion of inbound marketing
Inbound marketing is predicated on creating happy customers (what a novel concept!), with the end goal of turning them into promoters of your business by “delighting” them. Running your social media sites in a manner that emphasizes fun and interaction over self-promotion will help you provide value to your fans, who will then be happy they follow you. And fans who view your business favorably are more likely to recommend you to their friends and colleagues.
It’s free advertising
Is free advertising something I can interest you in? I thought so. If I offered you a free billboard ad, you’d be a fool not to take it. Well, social media can function in a similar capacity. Depending on the size of your social media following, any random post, Tweet or photo can be seen by hundreds or even thousands of people. And that’s access you don’t have to pay for. Although if you’re willing to drop a few bucks…
You can expand your reach exponentially
Social media sites realize that their users are a major asset, and they’re willing to give you access to all of them – for a price. If you spend some money on their advertising programs, you can greatly expand the reach of any social media post. The difference between social media advertising and email marketing is tremendous. A recipient can choose to ignore your email and delete it without ever opening it, but with social media, you have a captive audience that will definitely see your post. Sure, they might still ignore it, but at least you know they’ll have to look at it first. The social sites also price their offerings to meet any budget; you can promote a Facebook post for as little as $5 (although you won’t get an incredible amount of exposure).
It allows you to provide excellent customer service
It’s become commonplace for customers to reach out to brands and businesses via social media, especially if they have something to complain about. The good news is, most of these customers simply want to vent and have their grievances acknowledged. By addressing these unhappy customers on social media, you accomplish two goals: 1. You help them with their problem and, 2. You do it in a very public fashion. This will show your other followers that you value customer happiness, and will do what it takes to make things right.
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