Social media is probably the most powerful tool of communication and marketing in this day and age. Many people now hear about a product or service and rush online to validate the information, find out more about the business, see customer reviews, or try to connect or even make a purchase.
If you own a business, and whether you offer a product or a service to the public, you should really consider stepping up your online presence and your social media game. Not only will it provide you with instant valuable data and insights about your target audience and their needs, but it will grant you a rich channel to communicate and engage. Your use of social media can be paid or free of charge, depending on your communication strategy, resources, and marketing budget. In this article, we will shed some light on the most important benefits you can gain from social media.
Exposure
It’s no secret that almost everyone now has an account on at least one social media platform, and they check it at least once a day. When you use interesting content and the right keywords, your social media pages will grant you instant visibility and exposure.
If you don’t have the resources to be readily present on each and every platform separately, you can resort to creating the accounts for your business and use a supplementary service like Hootsuite to facilitate sharing and interaction from one unified dashboard. Doing a Hootsuite login is actually quite easy and the platform will work for you. It supports social network integrations for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Interaction
Gone are the days where customers dial up a business number and wait on hold for hours. Now, social media offers the convenience of commenting and messaging and waiting for a response while going about someone’s day.
Being on social media and actively participating on your page gives you the chance to respond to your customers’ inquiries, provide clarifications, and offer information instantly and publicly. This enhances your business credibility and creates long-lasting relationships with your audience.
Research
Big data aside, you can use social media as a research tool simply by observing consumer behavior online. Are they more interested in different variants of what you are selling? Are they concerned about pricing? Do they find it hard to reach your points of sale? Is the online store challenging for them to navigate? Do they want to know more about the ethical values of your company? Your social media pages hold a wealth of information that can help you evaluate your place in the market, understand how people really view your company, and act accordingly.
Go Social
Building a social media presence is an easy and effective way to promote your business and generate leads, while fostering long-term relationships with the various stakeholders and gaining their trust and loyalty. Efficiently managing your online presence will not only help you generate business in the short run, but further support prospects of customer retention, repeat business, and conversion of potential customers currently doing business elsewhere. Roll with the times and make the best use of your social media pages as a marketing tool.
