As a small business owner, you are constantly thinking of
ways to grow your client base and interact with clients digitally. This used to
mean client events, trade shows, and networking events to connect with
potential customers face-to-face. With the rise of social media and the
pandemic, we have seen the small business owner turn to more digital strategies
to increase their exposure. At the top of the list is social media marketing.
So why should small businesses use social media?
Building Brand Awareness
One of the biggest obstacles many small businesses must
overcome is getting their name out there. Or as marketers call it, brand
awareness. Brand awareness is the name of the game when it comes to exposure to
new potential customers. Simply put, brand awareness refers to the familiarity
that consumers have with your brand. More importantly, brand awareness helps
consumers consider your company as an option when service or product is needed.
For example, let's say you were in a car accident and need to
call a lawyer. You're going to call a law firm that you have already have a
positive association with in your mind already. Now, where did that association
come from? Maybe TV commercials with a catchy jingle, maybe your neighbor down
the street told you about a great experience they had. Or maybe you remembered
something you saw on social media - whether it be a paid ad, a thoughtful
LinkedIn post, or even a blog post that you found helpful when Googling about
your case.
Social media helps brands and companies connect to a brand
new customer base that they would not have been able to reach before, much more
effectively and for a much lower cost than a billboard on the busiest highway.
On social media, you can cater your content to that of which your ideal customer
is consuming, building authority along the way. Platforms like Facebook have
readily available targeting features to expose your content to thousands with
just a few boosting marketing dollars.
If you are wanting to increase awareness around your brand,
activity on social media should be the first step.
As a business owner, you know the importance of a website.
The website is an extension of your business and is a hub for potential new
customers to learn about the products or services you offer, get answers to
frequently asked questions, and most importantly, book a consultation or buy
your product. You have invested so much into this website, but who is really
visiting it?
If you have never take a look at your Google Analytics, you
may not know what your website traffic looks like. Odds are, if you are not
taking extra steps to build up your website traffic, it's probably lower than
what you would like to see. So, how do you boost website traffic?
The first, and quickest way, to boost website traffic is
through the use of social media. Of course, there are other avenues to consider,
like SEO and blogs, but social media can act as a trigger for Google to
organically boost your ranking. When creating posts on social, it is always a
good idea to link your website for the social user to click back to learn more
about your company. Boost the posts with a few advertising dollars and watch
your website traffic climb! Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn also offer
paid advertising options to place ads in feeds that have the goal of building
traffic to a website or landing page.
With the small business owners we work with at Hyperchat, we
can see the impact that a strategic social media strategy can have when it comes
to traffic to your website!
Connect with Consumers
Think of your favorite brands to follow on social media.
Once you start following a brand on social, you begin to recognize their voice,
posting style, fonts, and even colors. This is all an effect of brand awareness.
Now, how do you interact with your favorite brand on social? Your favorite
brands to interact with are probably the ones that interact back.
There are several ways you can connect with customers on
social media, so feel free to get creative with it. People love seeing people.
We always encourage our clients to snap pictures around the office, at company
events, or at exciting moments in their personal lives to share on social media.
People love seeing how the sauce gets made, so use your social presence to
build that relationship further.
Social media is essential for small businesses in 2021.
If you have not taken advantage of social media and the difference it can make
in your business, it is never too late to start! Take a look through our blogs
as there are tons of helpful articles to get you started! If you would like to
take a back seat and leave social media to the professionals, click here to
schedule a free consultation to start Turning Social Into Sales!
