How To Utilize Social Media To Grow Your Small Business
We are living in the age of social media. Indeed, it could be argued that sites such as Facebook and Instagram are more influential on the cultural zeitgeist now than even the world’s most respected news stations and platforms.
Instead of fighting against the tide, however, small businesses should be taking advantage of this paradigm shift. Indeed, in many ways, social media might have been the best thing to happen to small businesses since the invention of the internet itself. But only if they are using it properly!
Leads – Generating leads is one of the key tenants of most businesses and social media is an ideal source, with over 65% of small businesses using it to not only increase leads but generate more highly targeted leads. Social media can be used to promote gated content, that is more compatible with the interests of your followers.
Recognition – Social media is also handy for building and spreading brand identity and as long as your social media posts include a strong call to action, you should always be able to draw new leads from your social media page to the site itself. Social media can be the most direct way to get your brand out into the world and hit consumers from all angles.
Ranking – Many small businesses still don’t understand that social media can help to improve search engine ranking if used smartly. Google ranks pages based on authority and the more social media shares your site and your brand receives, the more authority the site will gain as a result. Many consumers will also head to a social media page first, to get a general idea of the brand, before moving on to the website. This is always going to be beneficial.
Traffic – The primary goal of any social media campaign is to drive traffic towards your website and the best way to build organic traffic is through social media. This is not something that can be done by simply creating a Facebook profile and hoping for the best though. It requires dedication. It would be wise to have a presence on all relevant social media platforms and use them to share the content that’s best suited to each – visual content on Instagram and more text-based content on Facebook and Twitter, for example. The best thing about social media is that your audience can share it with their own friends via the click of a button and your reach will spread exponentially and organically as a result.
Trust – Perhaps the reason why social media has proven such a success for businesses is because of the barriers it’s managed to break down between business and consumer. In a Social Media Examiner survey, almost 79% of marketers agreed that social media is the most effective way to develop a loyal customer base. This is only possible, however, if your content is consistently authentic, engaging, and relevant to your intended audience.Perhaps the most attractive thing about social media is that it is, ultimately, free to use. However, building a following takes time and money so will still require seed capital. Liberis is a company supported by the UK Government that specializes in helping small businesses find their feet and would be a perfect partner for any small company looking to find their way in the social media world.