Why Your Business Should Use Social Media

Is your target audience using social media? If so, you should be too!

At AJ Creative Studios we know that it’s no secret that social media has, essentially, taken over our lives. The latest data has found that people spend over two hours per day on social media. For small businesses, those two hours equal a massive opportunity to reach new audiences for free.

Still, only 64 percent of small businesses have an active social media presence, and 22 percent of those who don’t say they have no plans to change that fact.

There is no excuse for missing out on all the advantages of having a small business social media strategy.

Some companies look at social media as just another thing to do on their already overloaded plate. And that’s understandable. However, 70% of the U.S. population has at least one social media account, and over half have two or more, so the companies who consider social media to be just another chore are missing out on the huge potential to reach their target audience.

While social media isn’t necessarily the be-all end-all for your online marketing efforts, it can play a substantial role in getting you substantial results.

So how can social media benefit my business?

Ultimately, social media gives you the ability to directly connect and interact with prospects and customers. At AJ Creative Studios we believe the more integrated you become in the fabric of social media, the more benefits you’ll reap as a result.

Here are some benefits to social media:

1. Increase Brand Awareness & Loyalty

When you post to your social media network, anyone who likes or follows your business profile will see it, so whether you’re sharing valuable information or a story, you’re getting in front of your viewers. If your viewers find it share-worthy and post it to their profiles, their followers will see it as well, and then those followers share with their followers, and so on.

Not only that–over half of those who follow you are more loyal to you than other brands, according to Convince & Convert.

2. Boost Your Search Engine Rankings

One of the biggest benefits of social media marketing is a bump in search rankings.

Did you know Google looks at your social media presence when determining where your business will rank on SERPs (search engine results pages)?

First of all, social media profiles are usually pretty high on the list of search results.

Wondering what aspects of social media Google factors into your search ranking?

One factor that Google considers is your social media following. Brands with higher numbers of fans/followers are going to appear higher in search results, as long as they have high-quality followers. (So, don’t buy followers.)

Every time a follower shares your post, this increases the number of people who will see your post and builds backlinks at the same time. Creating engaging content that people want to share is key. 

Another way an active social presence improves your search ranking is by increasing the number of inbound links to your website. Backlinks are hugely important to both organic and local search rankings.

3. Connect with Your Target Audience

What if there was a way to have an open two-way channel for communication with your prospects and customers?

Oh wait. There is. It’s called social media.

Whether you’re there or not, your prospects are looking to social media first to connect with you. So be there. Because when people have an opportunity to give valuable insights, they feel important, and they give you an opportunity to improve your products, services and Marketing Strategies with their feedback.

4. Improve Client Retention

Take what we’ve told you about communicating with prospects and extend the opportunity out to your clients. The open communication and convenience of social media is extremely conducive to building deeper relationships with your clients. As said before, when people have an opportunity to connect with you or provide feedback, it makes them feel like they have a voice, and when you respond in a prompt and professional manner, you boost customer loyalty, which means better client retention.

5. Open Up Opportunities for Sharing

Sharing information, achievements and mindless musings is much faster than it was thirty years ago. If you have a marketing message you want to get to your audience as quickly as possible, all you have to do is post it to your social media accounts.

Build relationships with clients through social media by opening up opportunity for two-way communication. Additionally, you can also deepen your connection with prospects and consumers through sharing on social media. It’s really easy to post and share relate-able, humanizing content without spending a single dime. Plus, it’s FAST.

The benefit here is that your followers see you as a person just like them, making you stand out more in their minds, and you can get in front of them with a quickness, which is never a bad thing.