Why local SMEs should never ignore social media marketing?
Posted on: December 4, 2015
It is worth noting that 71 percent of online adults spend most of their time on Facebook. In the same vein, 23 percent of the same adults spend their time on Twitter. Remarkably, 26 percent spend their time on Instagram with a further 28 percent opting to be on Pinterest when online. As for LinkedIn, you will see more than 28 percent of the online adults spending their time on this site. This shows the folly of ignoring social media marketing on the part of SMEs.
Modern customers are social media-savvy. The customers are also tech-savvy. Therefore, they are more likely to spend their money on businesses that have vibrant social media profiles. A business that invests in a good social media marketing plan will benefit by building trust and engaging regularly with customers. In this regard, implementation of the social marketing plan is central to the success and growth of a business.
Other reasons that should convince businesses of the importance of the social marketing plan include:
Brand recognition
You only enhance brand recognition by placing the brand before more people. Social media provides the platform through which to push the brand before more people. In fact, social media enables brands to enjoy recognition and more visibility faster.
Trust building
Social media presents brands with the chance to build trust with their customers. Social media allows customers to see how a brand interacts with them. Through social media, customers are able to see how a brand response to questions, suggestions and complaints.
Low marketing budget
Never print marketing materials without including details regarding your social media accounts or profiles. It costs money to advertise on social media, but at least it is a more cost-effective marketing platform. You will spend a fortune marketing on other platforms.
Enhanced customer loyalty
Interacting with customers on social media is the best strategy for winning their trust through constant engagements. The result of all this engagement and interaction is that the business builds a team of loyal customers. Use social media to tattoo your brand on the customers’ minds.
Boosts traffic
Post links regarding your website to all the social media accounts or profiles that the business has. If you do this all the time, expect the website to benefit from increased traffic. Post links from your website to the social media platforms even when not making direct sales.
Benefits SEO
If your website enjoys more traffic, expect it to benefit from improved rankings on Google and other search engines SEO ranking. A site that attracts more traffic will improve their search rankings.
Free data
Social media provides business with a platform through which to collect data regarding what customers are saying about it. The business does not have to pay anybody, especially a third party, to obtain such information when it is freely available.
Translates to more sales
Social media has not fully matured yet, as it is still at its infancy. A time will come when social media will be accountable for the biggest chunk of the $300 billion-valued online sales industry. In the next few years, social media might surpass traditional search engines in online marketing.
