The easiest way to connect to your network?
One of the most disruptive resources created?
Whatever your opinion is on social media, you cannot deny that its popularity has grown and, whether you like it or not, it’s the way forward for today’s businesses.
Over the years, there has been a big discussion on the benefits of using social media within a business context. It is associated with millennials, with the stereotype that those generations who came before them find it harder to utilise to the best of its ability.
People are constantly on their phones. Be it tweeting, posting photos on Instagram or letting their Facebook friends know that in two hours they are about to board their flight to Greece for a two-week holiday (and they are super excited!).
But how can this be useful to employers?
Surely, it’s just teenagers looking to see who can get the most likes on a photo rather than a corporate resource?
If you think like this, you need to look at your business strategy – and fast. Without utilising social media, you will be massively behind your competition and therefore will not reach your goals as quickly as you would like. It’s been found that 80% of users follow at least one business profile and considering that there are 3.484 million people on social media, this is a potential reach of 2.787 million people that could be seeing your posts!
Still not convinced?
Below are some key reasons why we believe you should embrace social media in your company, to be the top in your sector:
1) Brand awareness is increased
As said before, people are constantly on their phones. If you are posting content regularly, this then means they have a chance of seeing your stuff constantly. This is awesome for brand awareness, as even though they may not actively engage in what you are putting out there, their subconscious will remember seeing your name from somewhere. In conversation, people may mention your brand and with it comes the ‘oh yeah I’ve heard of them, I’ve seen their logo somewhere’ and boom. There you have it. Those audiences who you unintended to reach are now aware of your brand and as we all know – word of mouth is the best kind of marketing.
This doesn’t even consider those people who are already actively engaging. Liking your posts, commenting and sharing will not only increase their engagement and loyalty with the brand, but also give you a team of brand ambassadors. And the best part? They’re free!
2) There’s a human behind the product
The most frustrating thing must be when something doesn’t work, and you can’t speak to someone. The amount of times I have spent scrolling through a website getting more and more frustrated because there just isn’t a phone number, and then when you find one you are on the phone for 30 minutes going through all the automated menus! So, customers have turned to social media. Tweeting companies to sort their problems out – they normally get a reply straight away. By allowing yourself to be involved in this process, your company becomes more humanized and customers can relate to you better. You’re there on the frontline with them and more importantly, you understand their struggles.
3) Generate leads… and therefore increase profits
If the previous two points still haven’t swayed your mind – this one should. If you are a good business manager, you will try anything to increase your lead generation and if this means jumping on the social media band wagon so be it! The best thing about your business getting on social media – is that other businesses are also on there. It’s the best-known secret, connecting and sharing ideas with those who you potentially want to do business with will build your relationship. This will then make it easier for your sales guys and gals to do their job and secure you more leads!
4) Reputation management
Nowadays, if something is a hot topic people will go to social media to discuss it. This includes when things go wrong. Imagine, your company is involved in something that isn’t what you want to be involved in. Twitter blows up, comments/mentions/opinions all over the place and if you’re not on social media? You can’t manage what is said about you. However, if you are online, you could reply to customers queries and put forward your voice on the subject. This means you can ‘firefight’ effectively and avoid your company being in disrepute. Alternatively – if you have some great news you can also join in with your audience by sharing and celebrating it with them!
5) Engagement levels increased
All the above leads into one thing – engagement. With engagement, comes increased sales and improved brand awareness. So effectively it’s a continuous cycle. You post frequently on your socials, you get people to become aware of your brand, your audience engages in your posts through liking/commenting/sharing and you therefore get more people enquiring about your product. It’s as simple as that.
