It’s crystal clear that social media is the best way to access the world’s market.
Why social media for SMEs? This is indeed a million dollar question to ponder about. But I would like to twist the question – Why not social media for SMEs?
In the matter of decades as the market moved towards “ Modernization”, the Internet has become a game changer. The advent of the internet has revolutionized the traditional marketing methods of doing business. And the business whose advertising and monetization completely depends on the Internet has pushed social media to new limits. Social media is the mouth of your business. Believe it or not but social media has given the greater ability to access masses. It has given small businesses a way to speak directly to their audience every single day.
A few years back, it was a misconception and still prevailing in some industries that social media is something used by kids and could never really benefit the business. Do you really think the same?
According to 2017 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 81% of marketers found that traffic increased with as little as 6 hours per week invested in social media.
91% of online users indicated their social media efforts increased exposure for their business. And 69% of marketers are using social media to develop loyal fans.
Let’s discuss a few benefits of pushing your marketing stunts through social media:
Increased website traffic and search ranking. Social Media can literally help you in increasing website traffic and search ranking. Your traffic is limited to usual customers without promoting your business on social media. Like it or not but your audience expects you to be online. Every social media platform your business is active on creates a gateway to your website.
Publishing content on social media allows your audience to organically reach your business. Test which social media platform best suits your business purpose and then regularly invest some time on that social media platform. And it goes without saying that being active on social media gives you an amazing chance to effectively open your business to a wider variety of people all around the world.
Brand Awareness. It’s easier for your target audience to find and connect with you if you have an online presence. And by connecting and engaging with customers you increase the brand loyalty and customer retention rate. Blue Fountain Media has aptly marked on his blog that – spending a few hours per week, over 91% of marketers claimed that their social marketing effort greatly increased their exposure.
Building Trust & Personality. Social Media is a two-way channel where you can enrich your relationship with customers and blast your business sales. Trust is everything in online marketing.
Time and Cost Efficient. Social Media is cost-efficient as you don’t need to invest a big amount in starting business profiles. Signing up on all social media platform is free. You can set up your profile and business page easily. Start with organic advertising and once your strategy gets tune in, then start using paid advertising. Being cost efficient is really a great advantage as you get a higher Return on Investment. Moreover, Social media is a great way to monitor your growth in real-time.
Higher conversion rate. Your conversion rate gradually increases with the increased visibility. Every content you post, the video you share creates a path to your website. Moreover, every time you share information about your business in form of content, image or video, you get a chance to interact with your target audience. People love connecting over social media. So why not throw your business into it? Studies have also shown that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing. Social media makes your brand interactive so that your target audience follows your brand.
Marketplace Insights. One of the biggest benefits of being active on social media is that you get detailed insights into the marketplace. What can be other best way to know the interest and behaviour of your target audience. Social Media platforms like Facebook offer you the advanced tools which can help you to analyze the demographics of your audience. And you can also measure the engagement rate of every post.
Still confused is it worth for your business to use social media?
It’s crystal clear that social media is the best way to access the world’s market. Social Media is an era where business can both benefit and suffer. You can get complaints, negative reviews and ratings on your page. But the key is to always engage with your audience and interact with comments no matter good or bad. So now stop reading and get hands-on experience.
