Why Small Businesses Need Social Media

The world of social media is filled with noise from every direction with businesses big and small competing to be the loudest. Companies are utilizing social media in countless ways to stay relevant and those who aren’t are being drowned away in all that noise.

With industry leaders pushing hundreds of thousands of dollars into Facebook ad campaigns and posting every minute on Twitter, it is easy to become discouraged and reluctant when it comes to venturing into social media marketing but the fact of the matter is: you need to start now.

Small businesses everywhere are building their social media presence and managing successful campaigns. Here are five reasons why:

Brand awareness

Companies want their customers to know they exist. A company could create the best product known to mankind but if no one knows it exists, how could customers be expected to buy it?

It’s important that companies have social media profiles with regular activity for potential customers to discover them and engage. Cultivating customer awareness is the first step in an effective sales funnel and social media is a great place to raise that awareness.

Stay relevant

Successful companies are the ones who are engaged in the online conversation related to their industry. Companies are engaging in these conversations by tracking customer dialogue and delivering to their customers what they need in accordance to what they are asking.

Only social media provides that invaluable and unique interaction. Companies that are relevant stay active on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. They post relevant content and communicate with their customers regularly and, as a result, are producing better and more effective products and services solely because they are a part of that conversation.

Track competitors

Competitors are going to tell their potential and current customer base what they are doing before they tell their competitors.

In fact, they’re never going to tell their competitors in a friendly Facebook message about an exciting new product, promotion or service that is meant to compete with other businesses. It is a business owner’s responsibility to be the business ninja they are and sneak around their competitor’s social media pages to figure that out. This stealth is how small businesses stay ahead of the curve.

Partner with influencers

Influencer marketing, the modern-day word-of-mouth marketing strategy, is still a hot topic, and if a company is in the consumer products industry, then partnering with an influencer on social media can be extremely beneficial.

Sure, finding the right influencer and landing a mutually beneficial deal can be daunting, but with a little bit of research and shopping around, a business owner can find the perfect match who can help them raise brand awareness, drive traffic to the company’s website and increase sales.