26/11/2014

WHY DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED SOCIAL MEDIA?

“Research shows that 74% of shoppers count on social media to help them with their purchase decisions. Once potential customers find you online, social media is likely to be the first places they look”

Social media is fast becoming the preferred channel for marketing these days, with big corporations taking the lead and popping up on newsfeeds all over the world. More traditional methods of advertising haven’t died a death just yet, with television adverts and billboards still working wonders for generating sales – but what makes social media a competitor for these established and traditional forms of marketing?

Brand Awareness: You need to reach out and contact a potential client/consumer an average of 7 times to gain their trust enough for them to go on to make a purchase. Having a social media presence keeps you in view of your target market, popping up in their newsfeed on Twitter and Facebook every now and again increasing the chance of them considering you the next time they are looking to make a purchase.

Customer Satisfaction: Real time customer services. Social Media is a great platform to interact with your customers. Promote and enjoy positive customer feedback and resolve the negative ones – pro-active customer service is great for brand image, and publicity.

Increased Traffic and Sales: A fantastic tool to drive traffic to your website, customers following the path from Social Media to your website have already gained a personal relationship with your business, so part with their cash more easily once they get there.

ROI: Return on investment. Social media has no set up cost – you set a page, gather some ‘friends’ or ‘followers’, perhaps invest a small amount in paid advertising to reach more potential customers and you’re off. Small investment – massive return potential.

Welcomed Advertising: Social Media marketing is non-intrusive. A TV commercial interrupts the programme you’re watching, you haven’t invited it into your living room. Whereas people experiencing your business’s message on Facebook, or Twitter, are doing so because they have ‘liked’ or ‘followed’ you. They want to hear what you have to say – it doesn’t get better than that!

Social media represents a huge opportunity – but the unwary and unprepared can fall foul in a highly-visible way. There’s been a huge shift in consumer expectations, companies with no presence on social media are starting to attract suspicion- a company with a high presence and visible positive interactions with consumers is bound to appear more attractive and trustworthy than one that doesn’t.

Growing your social media presence will in turn result in more traffic to your website, generate more leads and create more satisfied customers. Can you afford to invest in social media? The truth is you can’t afford not to!

No knowledge on how to use social media to your advantage or not enough hours in the day to do this? Then let us Get On IT for you!