As small business owners, we make decisions on growing, expanding and literally “doing” our business every single day. These decisions impact our business model, finances and potential for success.
When entrepreneurs express their concerns with social media marketing, the most common question I get asked is, “How do I know that this is going to make my business profitable?” Quite frankly, there is no guarantee. What I’ve experienced as a marketing professional is that it offers more benefits than risks.
The more effort you put into marketing your business, the more substantial your return. With social media, the potential to take your business to another level is exponential. Whether your business is localized, solely online or in multiple locations, social media and content marketing are important digital avenues that your business should take advantage of.
Social media can serve as a portal for a multitude of services. ranging from customer acquisition to reputation management. The importance of a social presence goes beyond sporadic posts about your trade and there are several advantages for any business using social media as a marketing resource.
One of the most significant attributes of social media marketing is its relationship with search engine optimization. However, search engine optimization has expanded beyond meta descriptions, title tags and links back to your site.
Any and all content about your brand that lives online impacts search results in some shape or form, regardless of whether it was published by you or someone else. While an exact percentile to measure the impact has not been discovered, we know that many consumers heavily consider your online presence when looking to obtain services. Like most things on the Internet, search engine optimization is always changing.
Research shows that more and more consumers are converting to online. The more you increase your brand’s visibility for first-time viewers and repeat customers, the more acquainted they’ll feel with your company. For example, an apathetic consumer that has stumbled upon your brand across multiple channels is more likely to engage with you than before. Similarly, consumers who frequently engage with you become loyal purchasers and advocates of your products and services.
With thousands of new brands popping up daily, staying at the top of Google search results has become a challenge. The entirety of your business lives predominately on your website. This creates a challenge for new businesses to discover your brand from a quick search.
However, every social channel your brand adds creates a path back to your website. The more compelling and magnetic content your brand curates or shares increases your visibility and traffic. Simply put: more traffic equals more leads and more conversions.
Every social media post is an opportunity for a conversion. Building your audience will ensure that these posts are reaching potential and previous customers.
The latest social media features now allow you to geo-target your post, which allows localized brands or companies that have multiple locations to create unique posts that are targeted solely for that area. Interactions with your brand on a consistent basis increase the likelihood of a conversion.
While there are several other benefits to social media marketing for your business, I strongly believe the insights mentioned above are most important. Whether you are kickstarting a new venture or you’ve reached a plateau, social media and content marketing can certainly help to make your brand successful and profitable.
By becoming active on social media, you’re provided with a plethora of ways to build your brand and overall online following. From growing an online community to expanding the reach of your brand, the potential business opportunities that getting started with social media marketing provides is essentially endless.
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