Who would have expected social media to become as big of a player in businesses and marketing as it has by this point in time in 2021? If you think about it, all the way back to the beginning with platforms like MySpace and Facebook requiring college emails, it seemed as just another form of entertainment geared towards the younger generations and certainly something without staying power.

Boy, was that wrong.

Instead, Facebook – and other social media giants – have only continued to grow their platforms into fully functioning business tools for companies to reach, engage and market to their customers and clients. No longer is social media a “fad” or a place for millennials to share their favorite music videos or passing emotions. Now, sites such as Facebook and Instagram are THE places to go to check out a business and their products or services, without ever leaving the comfort of their homes. Small or large, if you’re a business that wants to prove you have your own staying power, now is the time to take full advantage of these 7 undeniable benefits of social media.

GROW YOUR BRAND

When it comes to running a business in 2021 one thing is for sure – people want to feel connected to the companies they are using today. Partially through the growth of things such as social media itself, people are feeling the need like never before to know the person behind the business - and certainly thanks to social media, you can do just that.

Having a business account allows you to interact with your customers and clients, post photos, jump on a Facebook LIVE and truly share your message with the masses. By building relationships on social media, through active and authentic engagement with your followers, you are giving your audience – and potential new customers – a glimpse into your business in a way that humanizes your company and helps to stand apart from the rest. This in turn results in a thriving brand, loyalty to a company they feel “connected” with and ultimately, more sales.

QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

Another great aspect of having a business page on social media is the quick access to customer reactions, questions and even complaints. By being able to respond quickly to issues or answer a question (that may just be the one thing holding them back from buying on your website) you are able to control how quickly new information or better results gets to your customers. This type of quality customer service only helps to better grow your overall brand and keep people coming back for more.

GENERATING LEADS AND WEBSITE TRAFFIC

On practically every social media platform out today, there is a section begging to be filled by a link to your website. Specifically on Facebook – the King of Social – there are actual “call to action” buttons that will send your followers directly to your page. Through amazingly small adjustments on your business page, you can quickly begin converting more leads from your social pages to actual sales on your website.

KEEPING UP WITH YOUR COMPETITORS

While no one here is expecting you to troll your competitors, it is smart business to watch for successful keywords and growing trends to be able to plan your upcoming marketing strategies and adjust when needed. Keeping friendly tabs on them and watching their marketing practices is always a wise business move – and you can bet they’ll be watching yours too.

VALUABLE CUSTOMER INSIGHTS

One of the biggest benefits to social media is the data goldmine waiting just beyond your “Insights” tab on your business page. If you’ve never taken the time to explore this tab, you will likely be shocked by how much valuable information is simply waiting to be absorbed.

From page views to page likes to data on who is liking your page more frequently by gender, location and language, you will know exactly who is engaging with your page. Furthermore, you will be able to better sharpen your ability to reach your target audience by discovering both the time of day your audience is engaging and which days are most successful. This is exactly the kind of information you’ll want for…

RUNNING ADS!

Yes, this is where all of the amazing information you just discovered in #5 comes into play. By understanding the data points of the audience you already have, plus using your own ideal client avatar from your market research, you will be able to skillfully create ads targeted to exactly who you are trying to reach.

Interested in finding new, local clients? Fantastic – you can do that with social media ads, too. You can easily launch campaigns geared directly towards the age, sex, geographic locations and even occupation of your dream customers. No matter who you are trying to reach, social media ads can help you do just that.

SHARE FASTER AND EASIER

Finally, with the “in the moment” access of social media you can easily share exciting content, new products or daily specials with your followers that you want to be seen and absorbed immediately. Especially with social tools such as going LIVE, your customers and clients will feel like they are part of the experience, in the know and help you to get your message out faster than ever before.

INSERT SHAMELESS PLUG-IN HERE:

Let’s not act like we have it all together, ok? Life is crazy, new social platforms and tools are popping up every other day, and with every day that passes, we get closer to saying things like “kids these days” and “how do you work this damned thing?” The truth is: the world- and especially the elusive World Wide Web- is constantly changing, evolving and making us jump through new hoops. How do you keep up? You hire the experts. That’s right folks, it’s time to stop wasting your time squinting at the screen and actually get back to focusing on what you do best- running your business. Leave the “liking”, the “tweeting”, the sharing and the social media shenanigans to those of us crazy enough to keep up with the trends. Our “in-house hipsters” will keep your clients engaged, excited and most importantly- growing- to give you the following you need- without the gray hairs you don’t. Let 2Ten Marketing manage your social media content and marketing to have a successful social presence today.

Previously Published on June 1, 2017