We are currently in a digital age where Elon Musk owns Twitter. This is not only representative of the digital age, but also the current online climate and its ties to the business world.
Think about it: 15 years ago, would you have predicted that the richest person in the world would one day purchase a social media platform? Probably not. Musk noticed the effect that social media has had, and is having, on the world today.
Whether you’re on social media or not, the fact remains that it has become one of the biggest money-generating industries in the world. There are people who earn their income through social media alone, and billions of dollars have been raised through various platforms over the years.
In the business world, social media has become an invaluable tool for marketing. This is particularly true for small businesses. When it comes to social media for small business, the question is no longer whether or not they should be on social media, but how they should do social media.
The Value of Social Media for Small Business
It’s no secret that social media provides immense benefits for small businesses. The main one is, as we’ve mentioned above, that it increases brand awareness. An active business on social media stays at the top of users’ minds while also providing valuable content that establishes it as a thought-leader on certain topics within its industry.
Social media benefits for small business can range from better customer service to more sales and website traffic. When someone engages with your business on social media and they receive a response, they’re more likely to become a customer.
It’s all about trust, and social media provides many an opportunity to build it.
At the end of the day, social media is a valuable tool for small business owners to grow their brand while engaging with their audience on a human level. It’s also free!
Social Media Marketing for Small Business
These days, if people want to look up a business, they generally check Instagram or Facebook first. This means that just by being on social media, you’re creating a brand for your business. This is the whole point of marketing: to increase your brand awareness.
Now that we know some of the benefits of your business being on social media, it’s pretty obvious that you need to get on it.
Social media gives you the freedom to carefully cultivate your business’ brand by the content you post and the way you engage with your audience. Because there’s plenty to see and do on social media, you need to be intentional about this.
This is where the marketing part of social media comes in. Yes, being on social media is a good thing. However, building your brand identity takes time, effort, and strategy.
Let’s start with a few simple questions you can begin thinking about as you plan your social media marketing strategy:
- What are your social media goals?
- Who is your target audience?
- Which platforms does your target audience use?
These are fundamental questions that will help you to navigate the social media space with a bit more clarity going forward.
Next Steps
So, you may be wondering if you’ve got the time or the manpower to commit to being more intentional with your business’s social media output. That’s a fair thing to wonder because you definitely don’t.
Few people realise that social media management for a small business, or any business, is a full-time job. Hiring a social media manager for your small business could potentially be the smartest decision you’ll make all year.
Social media marketing companies that offer help to small business owners are quite numerous. One such company is BRBD. We’d love to help you manage your online presence!