Why You Can't Afford To Neglect Social Media

29
Jan 2013

Social Media has become a necessity for every business. It’s not because it’s trendy or because it’s popular, it’s because it has changed the way a business can increase their bottom line.  Social networks have changed the way businesses interact and market themselves over the internet.  It’s the hottest thing right now and here’s why your businesses can’t afford to avoid it.

It’s happening without you.

People are talking on social media whether your business is there or not.  They may be talking about your business or they may be talking about your competition, however the fact of the matter is they’re talking.  Everyday people turn to social media for various reasons.  Facebook records 2.7 billion likes and comments on a daily basis and Twitter records 200 million tweets per day.  Those are astonishing numbers.

Social Media has also changed the way businesses market themselves.  Inbound marketing has become one of the most successful marketing tactics a business can use.  Maintaining a two way line of communication between business and customer is something of great value.

Social networks have become a protocol in the business world.  Even if you are not involved in social media, your businesses can still be found all over the internet.  With sites like Yelp.com and Zagat.com customers can like and review your businesses and services.  Your competition is most likely on social media, therefore your business needs to be as well.  People are on social media whether you are or not.  The only way to reach them is to make your online presence known.

It’s key to increasing conversations

Doing business online is much different than doing business offline.  There is a huge gap between the two – trust – that needs to be filled.   When doing business in person, it’s clear who you are doing business with and what their motives are.  When conducting business online, you may have never met the person so it’s even more important to establish trust.  Social Media is the prime way to build a trustworthy relationship.

Engagement is the key to trust and it’s also the key to conversation.  Social Media gives businesses the opportunity to reach out to more customers and engage with them.  This makes the business more valuable to the customers and furthers the relationship.  The longer the relationship lasts the more trust is built and the smaller that gap becomes. It sounds simple, but it’s not that easy when it’s all said and done.

Businesses can’t wait around for engagement, they have to go out and get it.  Asking questions, running promotions and creating compelling content will drive engagement.  This is what draws people in and continues to fuel their interest.  Social Media is about providing people with a resource and a bank of information.  It’s not about selling the people who are already interested; it’s about cultivating the people who have yet to discover your business.  And this is done through conversation.

It fuels your other marketing tactics.

The best strategy is one that is diversified.  It’s the one that COMBINES all the elements of successful marketing.  Social Media can be the fuel for your marketing fire, but it cannot be the fire itself.  So in other words it will help your strategy but will not uphold it.

That means you have to have other components for Social Media to support.  Upon learning of your businesses (if they didn’t find it on Google), a customer will most likely “Google” your company to see what comes up.  If they have a Facebook page, the first thing they will do is look up your business there.  No matter what channel it is, your customers are going to search for you and if you can’t be found, that’s not a good scenario.   Social Media is there to validate your business, and show your customers that you have the ability to engage with them online.  It sets you apart from your competition.

Marketing and advertising is about brand awareness and Social Media is the perfect tool to help your business establish this.  With proper strategy and implementation, you can create a brand image and establish a presence on the internet.  This allows your customers to connect with your business on a whole new level.  They can interact with your business online and become part of your community.

Although thought to be trendy, social media is not a trend in the true sense of the word.  Trends are styles, fashions and cultures that are very popular for a period of time.  But trends almost invariably fade away.  For this reason social media is not a trend because it’s not going away.  It has made its foray into the world of marketing and has become standard protocol for how to market your business.  So whether you’re on the bandwagon or not, you must realize that the bandwagon itself is not going anywhere any time soon.

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