Why Social Media Matters for Businesses

If you own a small business, you understand why it feels like there are never enough hours in the day. Let’s consider how you divide those precious hours for your business. How much time are you (or an employee) spending on Marketing, Advertising and Social Media? Six or seven years ago, “Social Media Marketing” didn’t exist. Here we are, in late 2013, and an astounding 86% of marketers say that social media is important to their business. Over 60% of them say that social media generates leads, from just 6 hours a week on the “Big Three” (Facebook, Twitter and Google+).

With more than 665 million daily active users on Facebook, and more than 500 million registered accounts on Twitter, it’s easy to see that this social media trend has gotten pretty serious. Still, there are businesses who have been around for ages and have a hard time adapting social media as part of daily business functions. This rather new digital phenomena leaves many small businesses stumped and unable to wrap their heads around how to use it effectively.

Lacking social profiles on digital platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr and Yelp is a major “miss” in the Marketing and Advertising aspect of small business.

Here Are the Top 4 Reasons Your Business Should Be Using Social Media

1. Brand Identity and Word of Mouth
Consumers are more likely to buy from companies that have a social media presence: 71% of social media users are more likely to purchase from a business they are connected with. In addition, half of online shoppers count on social media when making a purchase decision and actually made purchases based on recommendations they have read on a social media platform. Word of Mouth happens all the time, when a user mentions your brand and recommends or “shares” it with their friends.

2. Reputation Management
Neglecting to set up social media profiles will not prevent your brand from becoming a victim of negative publicity. If your company (or an employee of your company) does something to rub a customer the wrong way, you can bank on that customer venting about it on social media. Without the respective accounts in place, there is no way for your company to respond to their dissatisfaction and clear up any bruises to your reputation. The same goes for positive feedback!

3. Trial and Error is Important
The big brands who seem to have social media figured out, with 100,000 “likes” on their Facebook page, weren’t always this successful. Thanks to Facebook Insights, business pages get detailed data on the engagement received for each post, so you can see which kinds of tactics work and which ones don’t. Understanding what works for your online audience can also help for other avenues of Marketing as well.

4. SEO – Search Engine Optimization and Website Traffic
If you have a website, you want it to be found on search engines so users can find your site through relevant search queries. Luckily, Google loves social media, especially Google+, one of their own social platforms. Google indexes content posted on social media sites so anything you post or share is discoverable in search engines results. The more channels you are business is on, the better the chances of your target audience finding your website.

Social Media Marketing for Search Engine Optimization is a time-consuming task that involves quite a bit of work to get started. Setting up each social profile, in a way that search engines can connect your brand’s channels, can be a daunting task. If you feel that your company can benefit from using Social Media, but don’t have the time or manpower to get the job done, call our team at SEO PRO today: 510-276-9902.