Social media seems to be getting a bad reputation lately as some business owners see it as a distraction, hard to measure, time-consuming and returning little for the efforts put towards social channels. In fact, nothing can be further from the truth. Social media is a powerful tool for small businesses when used correctly. We’ll discuss why small businesses need to embrace social media, and then provide a few tips to make sure business owners are garnering the results they deserve.
In the article, “A Few Reasons Why Social Media Matters” by Business 2 Community, they list off a few interesting statistics that go a long way to show the value of social media (be sure to read the whole article to get the full list):
Forbes provides a similar list in their article about the benefits of social media.
Who are you trying to reach? What is your goal? How often should you post? Consider creating a social media calendar to get you organized and keep you on track. Consider using Hootsuite or another social media management platform to keep all your accounts organized. Focus on your desired outcomes first (driving traffic to the site? Sales? Branding?). Figure out what you want your “voice” to be, and be consistent about it (Funny? Serious? Educational?). Understand your target audience and break out your messages based on segments within that audience. Find influencers online that will support your efforts. And then MEASURE. You can measure how social is driving traffic to your site through Google Analytics, but most platforms and social media management tools also have reporting within their platform. Use it to see what’s working and what’s not.
If your small business doesn’t have the bandwidth to execute social media the right way, find a marketing specialist to manage it for you. Businesses need to embrace social media to build their brand, drive traffic to their site, and gain more business.
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