Social Media has become a major part of our culture and our daily lives. We share everything from what we see,to what we do, to things that inspire us. Businesses small and large have caught on to the impact that social media has and have realized that they can capitalize on our constant need to stay connected. Companies that successfully use social media not only expand their customer base, but also create brand loyalty.
While social media can help all companies grow their business, for small businesses it’s vital to have some type of social media representation. When it comes to marketing and advertising for small business, most people are scared off by the price of some traditional methods like radio and television. Social media is an inexpensive way to put your company in the spotlight and engage with potential customers.
Having an online presence for your brand is everything. Nowadays, if someone is looking for a specific company, they either ask around or they look online. Studies show that around 70 – 80% of people research a company online before visiting and shopping with them. Social media sites along with your business’ website can help bring in more customers.
Top social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all serve different purposes and can yield different results when it comes to marketing your small business. Deciding which site will work best for you depends on the message you’re trying to send and how you want to send that message, your audience, and the amount of time you’re willing to commit to each site. Keeping these in mind will help you figure out the best social media site to use to grow your business.
Facebook is a social media site meant for sharing pictures and posts. It’s useful to small business because it’s simple layout allows for people to easily engage and quickly learn what your business is about. Facebook has 1.45 billion daily users and Americans of all ages use the social site. While it’s most popular with millennials, it’s also very popular among older demographics.
Twitter is another popular social media site that focuses on sharing short and concise messages to the public. Twitter has over 300 million users monthly and caters to a younger demographic with 37% of users between the age of 18-29. Businesses that thrive on Twitter are those who know their
audience and follow the trends. Twitter is a great for small businesses because it extremely easy to engage and communicate with audiences and potential customers.
Instagram is the newer social media platform out of the three and it largely focuses on visuals. The picture sharing platform is a great place for small businesses to market and brand their products. The use of hashtags helps businesses expand their reach to thousands of people through the app. Around 71% of businesses use Instagram to help grow their customer base, benefitting from the site’s 800 million monthly users.
Social media has the ability to take your small business to the next level and expose you to new customers from all over the world. Utilizing sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram lets your business speak for itself instead of relying on traditional marketing strategies like television, advertising, radio and word of mouth.
