Having a social media presence for your business is essential because over 53% of the world's population, roughly 4.2 billion people, actively use social media. With advances in worldwide infrastructure and internet expansion, that number is likely to rise.

Increasing brand awareness, the ability to target your advertising, and increasing customer engagement are three reasons why your business needs to be active on social media.

Social Media Is Here To Stay

The number of social media users has increased by 1 billion in the past three years alone. On top of that, 70% of American adults use social media daily. That means billions of people worldwide and millions of Americans look at their social media accounts every day.

45% of social media users report that they research brands and products on social media. Additionally, 67% of users say they have purchased a product that was advertised on social media, mainly Facebook.

Taking all of this into consideration, if your business does not have a social media presence, billions of people may not even know you exist. Those who do know you exist may be persuaded by competing businesses that are on social media.

1. Social Media Increases Brand Awareness

With a social media presence, businesses can increase brand awareness, or make their business known to more people. Initially, you will need to focus on having your current customer base follow you on social media. Then, the key is to use your customers to spread the news about your service or product on social media.

Additionally, you can capture people on social media looking for your service or product. 83% of Instagram users found new products on the platform. 57% of consumers follow brands to learn about new products or services.

Of those who follow a business or brand, 91% will follow the links to the business's website and 89% will make a purchase. By having a consistent and methodical presence on social media, you can attract more followers and customers.

2. Social Media Offers Inexpensive Targeted Advertising

Another benefit to social media is the ability to run targeted advertisements. Platforms like Facebook allow you to target your audience based on demographics (age, gender, location), possibly making your ads more likely to be seen by potential customers.

Running an advertisement or boosting a page on Facebook and other sites is far less expensive than other marketing campaigns. Boosting a post can be as low as $1-$2 per day and reach several hundred people each day that normally wouldn't see your posts.

Even if 1% of the people that saw your post become interested, that's still 20-65 people (using the example below) that could become followers and purchasers, for only $14.

3. Social Media Is A Customer Engagement and Support Hub

Customer engagement is vital for every business because it can turn a one-time customer into a loyal and returning customer. There are many ways to engage customers on social media. When they like your content (post, video, etc), like them back or thank them for it. The more people engage with your content, the more they will see it and the more others could see it-- thanks to the algorithms.

Social media is also a great place to solicit information from your audience. The use of polls, questions, and other engaging activities not only increases engagement but provides you valuable feedback on your customers' likes, dislikes, interests, etc.

Use the information you gather from your followers and appeal to their tastes. Maybe your content needs to change, perhaps you need to carry a different type of product, you might realize that Saturdays are when people read your posts and dedicate your ad budget for Saturdays. Whatever data you collect, use it to gain more followers and potential customers.

How A Subscriber Uses Social Media

A Pristine Touch LLC, a kitchen and bathroom remodeling business in northeast Ohio-and one of our subscribers, has great success with Facebook. Originally starting out on the app Thumbtack, they transitioned to using social media, including Facebook, where the last seven jobs have originated from.

A Pristine Touch LLC utilized Facebook ads to gain traction, and are now booked through the end of the year. Their advice to businesses new to social media: keep it simple, social media doesn't need to consume you.

Social Media Can Be a Powerful Tool For Your Business

Social Media can be transformational for your business if used properly. With over 4.2 billion people actively using social media, your business can leverage it to increase brand awareness, run targeted ad campaigns, engage customers, and so much more. Stay tuned for more social media posts and guides in the coming days and weeks.

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