In the past, businesses relied on newspaper ads, billboards, the yellow pages and commercials to spread awareness of their business. More and more, the marketplace is online and social media is a key part of that. While most of us are on social media, the question for businesses becomes one of using professional social media management. Why should you consider having a professional manage the social media for your business?
You Customers are Online
According to one study, in 2020 over two billion people purchased goods or services online and e-retail sales exceeded $4.2 trillion. Over 40% of consumers report using social media to research a company or product and some demographics report that social media is a major influence on their purchasing. 94% of digital consumers between the ages of 16-64 have at least 1 social media account, and 98% of them have been active in the last month.
If you aren’t in retail or really planning to sell your services online, it’s easy to dismiss that fact as something that doesn’t apply to your business.
The same people who are spending $4.2 trillion online are using the internet to find search for things like “ice cream shop near me” or “eye exams in (your city)”. Increased exposure (88%) was the biggest benefit of social media marketing in a recent survey. Market research firm eMarketer reported that 44% of local businesses depend on social media for brand awareness.
Social Media Marketing is Effective
Nearly 90% of marketers say that social media marketing has increased exposure for their business and 75% report increased traffic. One marketing survey showed more than 50% of those using it have reported improved sales. Over 40% of local businesses report depending on social media to drive revenue. Half of the marketing professionals that were asked listed social media as the most effective part of their digital marketing plan.
Social Media Can Build Brand Loyalty
In marketing, consumers who interact with your company and tell others about your company are referred to as “fans”. That doesn’t mean they want your autograph, but it does mean that they like your company or brand enough to spend time on it and spread the word about it. In short, they become part of your marketing. Nearly 2/3 of companies surveyed reported that social media marketing developed loyal fans.
Interacting with your customers is a powerful tool and social media allows for this. In his book “Know What You Are For”, author Jeff Henderson explains how even the simple action of “liking” a customer’s response from the company account has big effects on not only their short term opinion of the company, but makes a lasting one as well.
Social Media Marketing Takes Work
When asking businesses what the most difficult part of their digital marketing strategy was, social media was the 2nd most popular answer. Companies overwhelmingly agree that creating compelling content is both the most effective part of social media marketing (82%) and the most difficult part (69%).
Business owners are successful because of the things that they do and because they know where to devote their time. A good social media management strategy takes time to execute, and your time is probably needed elsewhere in your company. Using a professional social media manager not only frees up your time, it gives better results.
Social Media Helps Your Search Engine Ranking
Let’s be honest. People use google for a lot of things, including looking for your business. Most businesses have the goal to be on the first page of Google search results. Social media can help improve your Google ranking, but the relationship can be tricky.
Having good content on your site, such as a blog can not only help you rank better with certain keywords. But there is more to it. Good content gets shared on social media more often (including from your account). The more it is shared, the more eyes that come to your site. In addition, some sites will link to it themselves. That path back to your site is called a backlink and is a factor in search engine rankings.
Lastly, your company social media profiles can also show up in search engine results. Once again, if there are a lot of people linking to it (your fans), this helps draw traffic to your site.
There are many reasons to consider hiring professionals to handle social media management for your company. These are just a few. If you would like to talk about more of them or have questions specific to your business, our Simple Social Team would love to talk to you. Call us at 239-217-7484 or visit our website.