A Beginner’s guide to social media marketing part 1: Why you should be using social media

We take a look at the vital reasons why your business needs a presence on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn
Published:
April 21, 2016

Social Media covers websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest, amongst others. They are designed to help people create and share content, normally in the form short pieces of writing, images or video.

The idea of using Social Media to market a business isn’t new, but it’s not going anywhere. If you haven’t given it a proper go yet, here’s why you really should.

Engage with lots of people

With the total number of social media users currently somewhere in the billions surely there isn’t a better way to connect with more potential customers? Especially as more people keep jumping on the bandwagon.

But what makes Social Media really unique is that all these people can interact with your business. Just the click of a mouse or touch of a screen means people can show their appreciation for your brand, and help even more people discover it.

Of course, when someone does make the effort to share something about your business, they are sharing it with the people they have chosen to connect with. This group will include a good number of like-minded people who could also have an interest in what your business has to offer.

While Social Media has the potential to influence so many people, what makes it really powerful is that it can put you in touch with the right people.

Engage with interested people

Many of those hooked up to Twitter or Instagram actively use these sites as a tool to discover new brands or products.

Using Hashtags (which look like this: #) in a post means that anyone who has an interest in a topic can find your posts. Hashtags can be anything, from the name of a place, to a type of product or even the mood of the person writing it. If someone has followed a hashtag to one of your posts, they may already have an interest in what you do.

People are increasingly choosing where to spend their money based on Social Media. If someone wants to find out a bit more about a business, they may well check out a Social Media page as well as a website. As usual, making a good impression can make all the difference.

Boost your SEO

Basically, your success on Social Media will help more people find your website.

OK, this is a contentious one. Mostly because Google say they don’t let social media posts pass link authority. Without getting technical, Google might not look at social media directly but, there is too strong a correlation between social media presence and search rankings to ignore it completely. At the very least, helping people discover your website via your posts will drive up traffic, and this will help your website in organic search rankings.

Give your business some character

While this isn’t the most quantifiable benefit of being social online, it is arguably one of the most important, especially for businesses that use it to stand out from the crowd.

Simply by being active, you help show that you are a legitimate business that makes an effort to interact with people. It doesn’t take much to sound more human than a telephone book listing, so just by giving it a go, you’ll have an advantage over competitors who don’t do it at all.

But what can really make you stand out, is by showing the day to day stuff that makes your business special, whether it’s your sense of humour, showing off a new piece of kit, or sharing work that you’re proud of.

Low, flexible costs

While social media sites are free to join up to, it is important to look at how much they really cost your business. They can easily eat up a big chunk of your time if you let them.

So is it worth the effort? For most types of business, the answer is yes. Especially for anyone who sometimes finds themselves with a few minutes spare here or there. Time you wouldn’t otherwise spend productively can be put to good use by jotting down something that tells your followers what you’ve been up to.

Remove the Guesswork

Ever had a conversation with a potential customer and wondered if they’ll ever come back? Social Media can show what your customers are actually interested in so you don’t have to guess what will work next time.

The vast majority of social media sites offer all kinds of information on how well your posts are doing so that you get the most out of their particular service. When you know which posts have done well you can do more of what works and save time by cutting out what doesn’t.

Find out more about our social media marketing services here.

You may also like!

Artboard 3 1 610x610 - A Beginner's guide to social media marketing part 1: Why you should be using social media social-media-marketing

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!