In this present technological age, almost everyone at least will have an account in any of the social media networks, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.
Though social media does have its disadvantage, when it comes to your business there are plenty of ways in which you could positively make use of social media to further your cause. These are some of the main benefits of social media for business.
Benefits of Social Media for Business:
An effective marketing tool:
You can mould social media to become more meaningful and useful. Using social media as a marketing tool for your business is the right marketing strategy. It is alright to use social media to interact with long lost school friends or even family members but if you are additionally able to forward your own business in the bargain then there is nothing like it!
Great way to attract youngsters:
Gen-X constantly makes use of social media for expressing themselves. In addition to using social media as a means of airing their views, they also get a lot of information from this source. If you make your social media page appealing and interesting then you are bound to attract a get deal of attention and get a number of ‘likes ‘and shares. All you need to so is spend some time trying to make the page good. You do not need professionals help, you can do it on your own.
It is extremely cost effective:
To run a social media page you need not have a lot of investors, sponsors or even a big sum as capital; all you need to do is have a high-speed internet connection that could really help you work efficiently. So when this is such a cheap way of promoting your business why would you not make use of it? Advertisements in newspaper and billboards cost so much of money and are frankly unable to create as much buzz as a social media profile.
It has mass appeal:
Statistics show that almost 70 % of people that browse the internet have active social media profiles. When you create an online page you are getting in touch with so many people that otherwise you might not have been able to reach out to.
Irrespective of age, class or religion you will be able to get people to take notice of your page. Once you have gained popularity and built a reliable name for your brand or product then your endeavor is sure to be a success.
You get quick responses and opinions:
Whenever you post a new message or even a post you are able to instantly get honest reviews and responses from people that follow your page. On the internet, people are brutally honest and though such honesty might hurt at least you are hearing the truth. In addition to this, you must not pay attention to the ‘haters’ that are constantly trying their best to put you down irrespective of how much you try or how brilliant your work is.
Good way to make announcements or share news:
If your business is really taking off and you would like to post some news or statistics then you can always do so through your social media pages and profiles. No matter what hour of the day and night people are constantly online through their computers, phones, laptops and even tablets. Once people see that you are a trustworthy business that has a good name then they will not be unwilling to contact you and avail of your services.
Share pictures of products:
Often when you advertise via newspapers or magazines it becomes very expensive to post pictures however through social media not only can you post any number of pictures of your products but in addition to this, you can also make a video or demo of how your product is to be used. The best part is you can do it all free of cost. Instead of spending big bucks on television ads, you can post an interesting clip on your social media pages!
Helps increase your client base:
Without the burden of having to look for sponsors or travel house to house to get customers, as well as investors all you have to do, is maintain good online profiles, where people can get all the information they need and in addition to this, they can even contact you when they have any doubts. Without you even knowing it someone in another country altogether may be viewing your page and thinking of investing in your business.
Expand overseas:
Without your knowledge your page might be stirring up quite a buzz in another part of the world. Distant places where people would have never seen your newspaper advertisements or even your expensive billboards can now get in touch with you simply because they saw your online page and think that yours is the sort of service or products which they have been desperately searching for all along. So with one profile you can influence so many.
Deeper relationship with customers:
When you have an online page or profile on social media then you are instantly able to reach out to your customers and in addition to this they are also instantly get in touch with you when they want to.
Social media is a good way of establishing a two-way communication system through which clients and customers can get in touch with you. When customers and clients are directly able to get in touch with you then automatically the relationship becomes deeper.
Increases traffic to your website:
Having an online page on social media is especially useful when you are able to redirect customers to your website. The more people that visit your website, better for you as the more amount of money you are likely to make.
Everyone starts a business to make money, so using social media helps you make money without spending much at all. So even if your budget for advertising is nil, now you have an answer to your prayers.
More effective than word of mouth:
People say that word of mouth has always been one of the most effective ways to spread news and information, but in this day and age where people hardly have the time to interact with one another face to face, social media has replaced this age-old medium of communication.
On social media when people find an interesting page or product the first thing that they do is ‘tag’or ‘share it’ on their friend’s page and this is surely going to help your page attract some eyeballs.
Develop relations with other companies:
When other companies take notice of what a brilliant job your business is doing then they might consider striking a sort of deal with you in which both companies could benefit equally. Such opportunities hardly ever come along unless companies take notice of the fact that your company has really been able to carve a niche for itself in the business world. If you are good at what you do and do not cheat or swindle people then you are bound to achieve great success.
Learn from competitors:
There is some truth in the common saying that ‘you should keep your friends close, but you should keep your enemies closer’, so having an online page helps you keep an eye on your competitors to make sure that they are not doing unethical like posting negative posts about your company. However having said this you should make sure you give your best because as long as you work hard you will remain head and shoulder above the rest at all times.
Does not take up much time:
Setting up a page or profile on social media hardly takes any time at all. Instead of sitting at the computer for hours on end you can post messages or tweets even as you are on the bus or climbing up a flight of stairs.
Once you have downloaded the apps everything becomes super easy, quick as well as convenient. This benefit of social media is one of the chief ones which you can explore at any given time as per your convenience.
These are some of the chief ways in which social media could really benefit your business. Since it costs little or nothing at all you should take the time out of your busy schedule to think of which social media sites you should use that could help you the most, as per your own needs and target audience. The more sites that you sign up on, post on as well as be active on, the better it will be for as you will be able to reach out to more people across the globe.