Perhaps you’re holding out for someone to give you very clear and concrete reasons to get serious about social media for business purposes. Maybe you see it as frivolous or a poor investment. But as it turns out, while there are many who still haven’t figured it out, there are very specific problems a robust and strategic social media presence solves.
And just what are these explicit benefits of social media for business? Well, I’m glad you asked!
1. Traffic, Lots of Traffic
It just so happens that few things boost website traffic like a vibrant social media marketing campaign or presence. In fact, there are at least 101 different ways to boost traffic using social media. Some of these include:
- Fostering engagement with social commenting tools like Disqus
- Regularly sharing your fresh content
- Give away free ebooks and other freebies
- Find niche communities to engage
- Build relationships with high-profile thought leaders in your space
- Find and use the right tags people are searching in your industry
- Link to all of your sites in each social media profile
2. SEO Juice
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) used to be all about hiring geeky wizards to soup up your website under the hood and blast links out to the entire internet. But it’s not anymore.
SEO is now the holy grail that everyone is searching for and spending a fortune to get a piece of. But it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, social media marketing is a great way to boost specific page rankings on the cheap. Here’s how:
- Google rewards traffic with higher rankings. The more clicks you get on your shared content the better you will do on Google.
- Shares are also part of the equation – so create shareable content for your social media audience.
- Social properties dominate the search results for popular brand names – in other words, Google is more likely to share social media content and pages than regular web pages.
3. More Conversions
Studies reveal that social media – as simple and cheap as it is – increases lead-to-close conversions 100%! Through numerous interaction opportunities, an increasingly humanized presence, and increased social proof with every new follower, social media for business translates into more conversions and thus more business.
4. Brand Loyalty
You want customer retention and brand loyalty? It’s one thing to convert a lead into a sale. But it’s entirely better to convert them into reoccurring sales. That’s why using social media for business is such a smart choice.
A study by Convince & Convert found that 53% of Americans are more loyal to brands that consistently engage on social media. It’s well known that customers prefer to do business with people rather than companies. Social media brings the brand down to the people level, engaging customers one-on-one.
5. Immediate Customer Service
Most business these days is conducted online. So the need for customer service online is very real and tangible. Fortunately, most social media marketers provide this service as part of a package deal. Using social media for business makes it possible to address customer questions and concerns in real time. This is especially important, because customers typically expect responses to their complaints or questions online within 60 minutes.
Using Social Media for Business Works!
It’s not a fad. It’s not fluff. And it’s no longer optional. The most successful businesses, large or small, are solving real business needs with social media. The benefits of using social media for business are numerous, but these five specific reasons should give you actionable intel to finally jump in.
If we can help, feel free to ask. We offer free, 20-minute phone consultations!
