How Social Media can Help Your Small Business

Social media is a tool that anyone can get their hands on and everyone can use, but there is still an art to using it effectively. And when you master that art, it can prove very fruitful for you and your business. Now, the clue is in the title- social media is all about talking and listening to people, what they like, what they hate, what excites them, etc, etc. The main advantage of social media is that you have the potential to talk to thousands upon thousands of people that you could never meet in real life.

Magnified illustration with the word Social Media on white background.

Word of Mouth

The best marketing tool is word of mouth. Advertising is good, but it can be expensive. What you really want is to get people talking about you, your business and your services or products. This means creating great content and promoting it through your social media outlets. If your content is engaging, then your customers can share the content too, thus promoting your business to their friends and connections.

Increase Traffic

Through this, you will also increase the traffic to your website. This should be one of your goals, as the more people visit your website, the more people find out about your products or services and therefore the more people will buy them.

Build Personality

Successful brands have personality, that’s part of what branding is. If you think about any successful business, you’ll probably be able to describe what they stand for and how they are perceived, for example. You can do the same through social media, by engaging and interacting with the community and those around you. Simply be yourself, post frequently and consistently and respond to your customers and build that brand yourself.

Generate Buzz

Big companies spend thousands on marketing campaigns, but you can do it for practically nothing, if you utilise your social media platforms in the right way. Show off your products and services and even events by talking and sharing content around your business and engaging and networking with others. Create excitement and watch the hype grow.

Network with Other Businesses

Social media is all about building and maintaining relationships, but that doesn’t mean it is confined to potential or existing customers. Other companies that might be linked to your industry or specific field may be able to help you, or you them, or collaborate with you or benefit you in a way that you’d never expect. Create a profile on LinkedIn for your business, start networking and think of ways that you might be able to help another business.

Remember…

• Content is king, so don’t spam or promote yourself constantly. Instant turn off.
• Be consistent. Have a content plan, and stick to it. Try to keep the same tone and be available at the same times.
• Get feedback, promote your customers’ work, create conversation, talk to your customers and other companies and remember to be genuine.

Amanda Revie writes for multilingual search company Ingenuity Digital