How Social Media Can Improve Your Business

By Jennifer McDougall

Social media is known by now as one of the most important aspects of running a successful business. Not having a strong online presence is like having a business and either telling no one about it or poorly managing your brand reputation. There is more to social media than many people think. This breakdown should make it easier for you to understand the importance of incorporating a successful social media strategy into your business plan.

“Every business anymore needs a social media presence and not just plain boring content, but professional looking content that is engaging.” – My GRANDMA.

Often times, we think of social media as just a place to catch up with old friends or share photos of our lives to appear more interesting than the norm. Well, in the case of business it’s much different. Social media is defined as, “A group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.”

Online communities provide businesses with a network base of 3.5 billion of people who are constantly sharing, uploading, and commenting on content that is relative to a number of categories, age groups, and geographical locations. That is the number of active online social media users worldwide. Facebook is the most popular.

This allows us to advertise at a very low cost, and sometimes no cost at all. We are able to share insight, knowledge, and information with those who maybe have never heard of a brand or product before. We are able to write content that can be read by those who are hungry for something new, innovative, and different. Social media allows us to broaden the market and expand growth across the globe.

• 90.4% of Millennials, 77.5% of Generation X, and 48.2% of Baby Boomers are active social media users.
• Users spend an average of 3 hours per day on social networks and messaging.
• 73% of marketers believe that social media marketing has been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business.
• 54% of social browsers use social media to research products.
• 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.
• 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations on social media.
• 500 million daily active Instagram stories are uploaded worldwide.
• 91% of all social media users access social channels via mobile devices.

There is no better way to say it. Your business needs social media to survive in this day and age.

Some of the best platforms to utilize are:

Facebook (2.7 billion active users)

Twitter (330 million active users)

Instagram (1 billion active users)

Yelp (73 million active users)

Pinterest (322 million active users)

YouTube (2 billion active users)

LinkedIn (575 million active users)tu

Tumblr (472 million active blogs)

We Heart It (40 million active accounts)

(updated October 2020)

Benefits of using social media in business:

1. Instant feedback from customers.
2. Helps you find new customers and expand your audience.
3. Great way to get ahead of your competitors.
4. Increase web traffic and search ranking.
5. Share content quickly and easily with social media.
6. Generate more leads.
7. Increase brand awareness.
8. Gives you more control over managing your online reputation.
9.  Enhance your brand image and overall visibility.
10. Built trust and credibility with customers.
11. Develop more relationships that can help provide long-term customer satisfaction.
12. Increase the quality of customer service using helpful and professional responses through online communications.
13. Influence purchasing decisions in a positive manner.
14. Cheaper advertising.
15. Easily track your progress to see if changes or improvements need to be made.
16. Geo-targeting
17.  Improve your overall sales.
18. Educated your customers on new and current products or services at the click of a mouse.
19. See who and what is being said about your brand.
20. Reduce customer service staff.
21. Reduce marketing costs.
22. Attract and retain employees through online media engagement.
23. Design your own online personality.
24. Provide more value to your brand through the use of social media.
25. This is the Information Era- everyone’s faces are glues to a cell phone or computer screen. We are seeking to find information and social media provides just that.