Having a social media platform for your business is pretty much a basic necessity needed in order to be successful. A few years ago, nobody really knew what social media was, and there were other avenues that businesses were taking in order to find customers and establish their credibility. Now, the world has entered a new age where exchanging data, marketing and business is done online. When it comes to this online world of business, the one area that makes so much sense to spend time in for a business is social media.
Social media has been growing in the past couple of decades, and the different sites have become more sophisticated. This is very favorable for businesses because the opportunity to create more customers and increase their sales has grown exponentially. It would be very wise for any company to educate themselves more about these platforms and learn how to utilize them to discover money they didn’t even know existed. In fact, there are five main benefits to using social media for any business that you should know about.
1. Makes it Easier to Find You Online
In order to do business with anyone, a business has to be seen first. One way to market yourself is by using social media since it’s accessed by billions of followers every single day. For example, a person might want to learn more about the business owner D Gary Young. More than likely, a user will search for this person on social media, since it’s pretty much a norm to have a specific page set up. Having an account makes it easier for your customers to find you and take out their wallets.
2. You Can Give Content to Your Followers
Another benefit is that social media gives you a platform to offer valuable content to your followers and customers. When you look around, you see many businesses using social media to advertise their sales or simply give information that will help their customers in a strong way. Content-giving is a great way that many companies nurture their customers before making a sale. In order to ease their customers into a sale, they first have to provide free content, such as helpful videos, articles, blogs and infographics. Doing this on social media is a sure win for a company because this is where their potential customers are living.
3. Makes You Look Approachable and Legit
If a business doesn’t have a social media account, it looks pretty shady. This is because it’s just so common to have one. A business can utilize social media to make itself look approachable and legit. In fact, social media should be done this way, because your customers do not go on social media in order to be sold to. Instead, if you come off as a company that is simply having fun and sharing information, you’ll present yourself as one of their friends.
4. You Can Build a Sales List
Also, don’t underestimate the following that you’ve accumulated online. This is actually a list of potential customers who will pay you for your products or services. The great thing about social media is that it helps businesses create a list of people that they can reach about what they have going on in their company. As it turns out, these are the people you are more than likely going to sell to in the long run.
5. Paid Advertising
Most social media platforms also have a paid advertising platform where you can cheaply market your company. Really, social media advertising is one of the most powerful marketing techniques that you can do online, simply because popular platforms are accessed by so many people. When you couple paid advertising efforts with the magic of organic reach, you can truly increase your revenue and get followed by more people.
Today, it would be extremely helpful to learn more about this amazing platform that can make your business more money. Truly, if you learn the power of just one social media site, you can have all the customers and advertising you need to have a thriving business.
Guest Article by Kevin Gardner
Kevin Gardner graduated with a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from UCLA. He shares his knowledge and expertise not only with his clients but with his fellow bloggers and readers.