Article written by Hannah Stack, Business Advisor, Western Sydney Business Centre.
If you’re a small business owner, you know that managing one is a challenge. From handling employees to keeping up with your finances. Other business owners look to the advice for a business advisor to keep things manageable. But if you prefer to do things by yourself, you might never run out of something on your plate.
If you lack the time, knowledge, or resources, it’s easy to set aside social media. You might even think twice about needing one, but the short answer is yes! Social media has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes, and it’ll be a mistake to ignore it.
Let’s talk about the top reasons why your small business needs a social media presence.
1. Connect with your target audience
It’s amazing how a decade ago, we could only connect to our customers through billboards, TV commercials, and word-of-mouth. But now, you can directly connect with your audience with a simple tap on a phone screen.
Whether it’s for responding to your customer’s inquiries, complaints, or even feedback and reviews, this engagement will not only improve your customer satisfaction but also build relationships with your customers. You could even create a community around your brand, leading to increased loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.
More than connections and engagements, did you know that social media could help you get valuable data on your customers? By monitoring your interactions, you could gain insights into your customer’s needs, interests, and pain points. The data can then be used to improve your marketing strategies, create new products and services, and boost your branding.
Need help analysing your data and building strategies around them? You may consider getting a small business advisor to find your strong and weak points and improve your marketing plans. Contact us now to learn more.
2. Boost online presence
According to a 2023 review by BrightLocal, 98% of consumers use the internet to find information about local businesses. This means that social media not just helps with connecting with you, but helps customers find you.
When your business has active social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and more), it’s more likely to show up in search results like Google, leading your potential and existing customers to easily look you up online. And since social media is meant for engagement and sharing, you’ll have the potential to reach a wider audience and collect user-generated content (UGCs), which you can repurpose for your social media content.
Social media also helps establish your credibility and legitimacy. In fact, lots of customers expect businesses to have social media presence and become wary of those who don’t. You will also appear up-to-date and trustworthy to your customers, helping you establish your brand’s positive reputation and ultimately grow your consumer base.
3. Cost-effective marketing
Unlike traditional marketing, establishing your online presence is definitely more affordable. You could go viral with a single post and find yourself building a massive brand the next day!
For starters, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer free business accounts where you can post and share updates. By consistently sharing valuable content, you’ll attract new followers while keeping existing ones loyal to your brand.
But if you want to give your social marketing game a boost, these platforms also offer paid advertising so you can reach a wider audience. Facebook Ads for example allows you to create targeted ads based on factors like location, interests, and demographics, and set a budget for the campaign. This also includes detailed analytics, allowing you to track the success of your campaigns and adjust your strategies as needed.
A solid social media presence is no longer optional, but a must-have for every small business out there. But simply having a presence is not enough. To truly grow your business with social media, remember that you need to have a clear action plan first that aligns with your business goals, and creates meaningful connections with your customers.
Looking to build your online presence, revamp your approach, or are still stuck creating your business goals? We can help! Contact us today and take your online presence to the next level.