6 Major Benefits of Social Media for Business

Social media has been around for a while now. Over half the population spend a good bit of time scrolling and reading into it each and every day. People use it to express themselves, connect with others, find the latest trends, read what's in the news, etc. On average, social media users spend around two hours and 25 minutes per day on social media.

Social media was first created for entertainment but soon moved on to much more. It is now being used as a huge marketing tool. With so many people continuously using social media, it only makes sense for businesses to use it in their marketing strategy. If you own a business and are not on or utilizing social media to your advantage, you are missing out on big opportunities. The unfortunate fact is that many business owners fail to understand the benefits that come with having a good social presence.

The benefits a business will receive will go far beyond just sales (even though we know that's what you really want in the end). Having a good social presence can do a lot more for your business. And we are here to tell you how! In this article, we are going to share with you 6 benefits your business can receive with social media. Keep reading!

1. Increase Brand Awareness

For people to buy from your small business, you must make sure they know about it first. Traditional marketing can get you noticed for a pretty penny but social media opens the door to reach even more people for less than the average cost. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Now you are probably thinking: Well, do I need to be on all social platforms? That sounds like a lot to manage.

Take some time to learn about each social media platform to see which platform(s) will benefit your business. For example, if you're selling rechargeable hearing aids it most likely would not make sense for you to have a Tik Tok business account or Twitter business account. Instead, most of your target audience (Baby Boomers) will be on Facebook. According to Hootsuite, 46% of Americans 65 and older use Facebook, with 38% using YouTube and 15% on Pinterest.

2. It's Inexpensive

Like I said above, social media marketing is a lot less expensive than traditional marketing. Creating a profile and posting to your account is completely free. You are able to market your business organically without spending a dime.

Ads, on the other hand, are not free but it still doesn't compare to the cost of traditional advertising. Paid ads are a great way to gain more exposure for your brand by reaching more people. On Facebook specifically, you can advertise your business at any budget as well as filter in the people who you want your ad to be seen.

3. Scope Out Your Competitor

Another perk of being on social media is that you will be able to scope out your competitors. In one simple search, you can visit their profile and see exactly what your competitor is doing. Keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing well vs. what they are failing at can help you in your own social media marketing strategy.

It's never a good idea to copy your competitors, of course, since you want your business to be original and unique. But you can gain a lot of insight by analyzing what your competitor is excelling at as well as what they might not be doing as well.

4. Gain More Analytics

This is a major perk for businesses on social media. Unlike traditional advertising, all the major social platforms give you a huge amount of data. It gives you information as to which demographic is interacting most with your ads, where they are coming from, how many people are engaging with it, and so much more.

Having these analytics will allow you to see how well your ads are performing and where there is room for improvement. In the future, this can help you alter your strategy in order for it to resonate better with your audience.

5. Connect With Your Audience Faster & Easier

Communicating with your audience is so important. Luckily, social media makes it super easy to stay in touch with them. If someone comments on one of your posts or reaches out in any way, you'll be notified and you can quickly hop in your account and reply. It's that easy.

Staying in touch with your audience is crucial for building good relationships with your audience. It shows them you care what they have to say. The better impression you have on your consumers, the more likely they will keep coming around and become loyal to your brand.

6. Increase In Website Traffic

Posting consistently on social media will play a huge role in increasing your overall website traffic. Notice how I said the word: consistently. Posting here and there when it's convenient for you isn't going to gain you much traffic to your website. You need a schedule - a content calendar.

Now, I'm also not saying to post every second of every day. That will turn people away quickly. But 3 posts a month won't do you any good either. Our best advice would be to post between 4 to 6 times a week to stay top of mind. Need content ideas? Here are a few…

• Blogs
• Custom Branding
• Relevant Articles
• Interactive Content
• Holidays
• Behind-The-Scenes
• User-Generated Content

Just be sure to include your web address in every post, so people know exactly where to find your business if they want to learn more.

And there you go! Those are 6 big benefits of social media for small businesses. If you're interested in learning more benefits and or need help organizing your social media marketing strategy, feel free to reach out to us. We're a team of awesome social media experts who want to help your business thrive! Schedule a time to meet with us here.