Why Businesses Need Social Media

2015-04-14

In order to become successful, a business needs to understand their customers and find creative ways to reach out to them. Providing a quality product or service is important, but if you can’t get people through the door your skill and efficiency won’t count for much. Spreading the word about your company and building a positive public image can be made a whole lot easier by effectively utilising the different social media platforms. So, how does creating and curating Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media profiles benefit a business?

Show that you are human

Connecting with clients Subheading 1

Developing a strong presence on social media means uploading a lot of different material, including behind the scenes images and footage, as well as sharing thought on industry related news, all of which helps give your company a human touch. Customers and fans will get to know your team a bit better, and develop a more personal relationship with the company, instead of just viewing it as yet another faceless corporate entity.

Get firsthand feedback from the consumers

The best way to get user feedback is to simply ask the users how they feel about your products and services, which aspects of doing business with you they enjoy the most and which areas could be improved upon. The customers will be glad to provide reviews, recommendations and suggestions, as long as there is clear two way communication between the company and the customer.

Cheap and effective marketing

There is a wide audience from all over the world that you can reach through social media, and if you have some interesting content they will share it and give you added exposure. However, and this is where things get interesting, you can also get your fans to engage in a more active marketing effort – e.g. by offering some small rewards to those that post pictures of themselves wearing your merchandise or starting some form of challenge with prices for the most creative applicants.

The benefits of the most popular social media websites

Popular social media sites

In order to show all the different perks that social media can afford you, we’ll look at how some of the biggest and most popular platforms can help improve your online marketing efforts:

  • Facebook – this is an old and proven platform, with a huge number of active users, and it allows a company to share industry insights and various information related to the niche in some detail. Pictures and videos showing the people behind the name and logo can also inspire trust and loyalty.
  • Twitter – still extremely popular, this platform favours quick updates, witty and creative posts, as well as sharing important news related to the company or industry in general. It can help you provide your customers with simple and convenient access to all kinds of information that they will find useful, e.g. upcoming sales, new products, commentary on pop culture events etc.
  • Instagram – somewhat younger than the previous two, this social media website has gained huge amounts of popularity, due to its simplicity and elegant design features. It gives you a great opportunity to showcase your products in high detail, give people a glimpse of everyday life at the office or give the customers some insight into your corporate philosophy.
  • Pinterest – an immensely popular platform, particularly for reaching out to the female demographic, which is ideal for promoting your products, while at the same time establishing yourself as a trustworthy expert within your niche through carefully crafted boards covering topics most commonly associated with your industry.
  • LinkedIn – a very professional platform oriented towards connecting serious business people, and it has recently grown into an article publishing platform as well, allowing users to produce some additional content and cement a company’s image as an expert on certain topics.
  • Google+ – a large and versatile platform, it has some of the elements that make Facebook so popular, but the focus is shifted on creating connection based on interests rather than merely connecting with friends and acquaintances.
  • YouTube – the best way to get your customers interested is often to use video, and YouTube gives companies the opportunity to present their products in high detail, show them in use and provide maintenance tips. Educational videos, as well as humorous and satirical videos, can be used to grab viewers’ attention and promote your company as a cool and upbeat organisation.

A good company has to focus on all the different aspects of business in order to grow and prosper, and reaching out to the consumer in a fairly direct manner via social media can make a significant difference. Using the most popular social media websites can provide your company with a host of interesting benefits, and it is up to you to find the approach that works best for your company.

Created by FollowUs.com, © 2020