7 Benefits of Social Media That Will Help Your Business

Social media has changed drastically from its original purpose of being a platform where users could communicate with their friends and family.

Rather than being for personal use, social media is now more commonly used for business purposes, and in many cases has shown to be immensely beneficial where implemented strategically.

It can be said that there are very few businesses left in the world that are not taking advantage of social media and the way it can expand their businesses. However, there are still businesses out there that are not exploiting all that social media has to offer, and this includes not reaching potential customers in the most cost-effective and quick way.

1. Increase Brand Awareness

With just a little over 3 billion people in the world now active on social media, it has become the platform for businesses to reach a vast potential customer base.

Having a presence on social media as a business can go a long way in driving people to your website, increasing your chances of acquiring customers. Creating compelling and engaging content such as promoting deals on the products or services you sell, or even holding a competition, will help not only spread the word about your offerings, but also build trust in your brand in the eyes of potential customers.

2. Humanise Your Brand

In this age of digital disruption, it is now more important than ever to humanise your brand. To build brand affinity developing a human way of thinking has become almost a requirement, which makes sense considering it is humans to whom you are trying to sell your products.

Simply put, you have to be transparent about not only how you do the things you do, but most importantly why you do what you do. For instance, having your mission and values clear as day is widely beneficial in creating an optimal customer experience.

3. Partner With Influencers

Nowadays, more and more people are turning to digital influencers for insights and recommendations on products and services.

Digital influencers have become the new age of thought leaders. By creating content such as blog posts, videos, and podcasts, influencers are not only able to engage with their followers, but also impact their decisions. Partnering with them, therefore, offers a great way for businesses to promote their products by tapping into the trust that these influencers have fostered in their audiences.

4. Exploit Different Channels

Promoting your content will essentially promote what you’re selling. Creating and posting original and authentic content, therefore, is a great way to gain more traffic to your website.

That being said, businesses must also diversify the channels on which they share their content. Not only would this help increase the visibility of your content, but it would also help raise awareness of older pieces of content that perhaps might not have garnered as much traction as they should have.

5. Go Viral

Social media is highly impactful in making content go viral. Creating content with high viral-potential broadens the reach of that content. In other words, if your followers share your content with their own followers across different social media platforms, then that brings your brand a lot more attention than if the same content was seen as less “shareable”.

Another great way to enhance the viral potential of your content is using hashtags. Hashtags are not only a great way to build brand awareness, but also lead potential future customers to your social media profile and then onwards to your website. Having said that, at the end of the day, producing engaging and compelling content that connects with your audience is your best bet at going viral.

6. Reputation Management

Getting people to talk about your brand is great! As long as it is positive.

One way to ensure your brand maintains a good reputation is by actively participating in conversations with your audience. Cultivating a relationship between your business and your customer base helps ensure that trust is built.

If people are negatively speaking about your brand, engage with them in a professional manner to see how you can rectify the issue (if there is an issue). And vice versa: if people are talking positively about your brand, show that you are present and acknowledge the going-ons of their interactions. This helps build your reputation as an engaged business that cares about its audience.

7. Customer and Audience Engagement

Social media not only allows you to interact directly with your audience, but it also gives them a platform on which to converse directly with your business. Showing consistency in your engagement conveys to your audience that you are dedicated to them and available to help them when needed.

Your audience will engage on your social media profile by liking and posting comments on your content. Being active and replying to their comments and questions will ensure that you’re always up to date about how your audience perceives your brand as well as interacts with it.

Conclusion

Social media has become not just a way for audiences to engage with businesses, but also a way for them to conduct research about the product or service that they might want. By being present on social media and actively using it to interact with your audience, businesses can build deeper and more meaningful relationships with their potential customers. Deeper relationships are characterised by trust, and when you have trust, you sell.

In the end, make sure that what you post represents your brand and that the content you put out there not only captures your audience’s attention, but also resonates with them. Done right, social media can yield many benefits and ensure your success.