Social media marketing is an amazing way of helping to build your business and improve communication, awareness and the relationship with your customers. There are many benefits to having an "active", social media plan and there are many tools out there to help you achieve this. Even if you are not design or tech savvy, tools such a social media templates and Social Media calendars or planners make this a much more achievable goal for you and your business than you may think.
So what are the benefits of Social Media Marketing?
- It helps to raise Brand Awareness. With over 3 billion people globally using social media, the world truly is at your fingertips. The potential to reach markets across the globe has never been easier. By having interesting and engaging content you are able to increase your brand awareness through likes, shares, comments and tags on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok Business. Of course there is nothing wrong with thinking big and on a global scale but never forget your local market. Google my Business is fantastic for local businesses. You know when you type into Google and search for a business type? (For example, "salon near me"), and the a list of that business type (salons) in your area shows up often with a map. Well that's all through Google my Business. For businesses with a physical presence, it's an absolute must!
- It helps to generate leads and convert more sales. Okay, so you've posted interesting and engaging content and getting likes and follows. That's also because your audience is interested in your business and your products and/services. A great way of generating leads and sales is to have a Facebook Shop or to utilise the Instagram Shopping feature to showcase and sell your products and services. If you are a business that offers services such as a restaurant or salon, showcase your menus or service list and allow customers to book an appointment or reservation through Facebook booking features. Make sure you have Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp as a contact option for customers to allow them to interact with you. This can help you convert many leads just because you are able to answer their queries promptly. Also make sure you have a link to your website in your contact details and your Instagram bio. *Google my Business also has features to allow you to list services. Another great way to generate leads is to hold competition giveaways. Making liking, sharing and tagging your post a term of entry that helps to grow your audience/ leads.
- It helps build relationships with your customers. Just like the offline world, networking, making friends with your customers and giving them referrals is a brilliant way of building relationships with your customers. By following them, sharing and liking their posts and tagging potential customers for them, it can have huge positives on your business. Not only does it help them to grow their business but they are more likely to do the same for you, helping you grow your audience and continue to increase your presence and potential sales. From a retail perspective, "top of mind awareness" is huge in terms of your customers' choices. By being continually active your customers are more likely to visit your page or business when looking for a product that you sell.
- It helps to build your reputation and improve your Customers experience. Actively asking for reviews and showing them on Social Media should be a necessity. Having a great reputation for quality and service is one of most important areas of social media marketing. Customers take notice of Google and Facebook Reviews. They’re more likely to shop with a business with 30 4-5 star reviews than a business with just a handful. Asking customers to leave a review or testimonial and showcasing these on your pages helps build consumer confidence and reputation and ultimately your business.
- It's often Free (or very inexpensive). Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google my Business are all free. All it takes is some time and planning. Purchasing social media templates can be very inexpensive and help save a lot of the headache of continually thinking up content for your posts. Utilising planners of free social media calendar downloads can also help. Promotional or Boosted posts on the likes of Facebook are very inexpensive and if you create a target audience through Facebook Ads you can hit thousands of potential customers for as little as £2 per day depending on your target audience.