The Benefits of Social Media for Business

Why you need to get online

Social media is a business tool that is often overlooked. Normally this is due to the fact that people simply don’t see it as a business tool. It’s too social, right? Granted, you need to make a distinction between social and business use. Your business page is not a place for drunk selfies or long updates about that annoying man you met in Sainsburys. Put simply, running social media for business is a craft.

Why do I need social media for business?

If you pick the right channels and learn how to engage with your audience, (once you have an audience of course), using social media for business can promote your company, increase sales and establish you in your area of expertise on a digital scale. It allows you to interact with your clients/customers in new and dynamic ways, giving you access to your audience whenever you go online.

How do I create an audience?

This takes time and effort. Firstly you need to decide what social media platforms are going to work best for your business. Facebook is always a great place to start for building up a fan base.

It is also worthwhile having a Facebook Company page because it means that if anyone types your business into the Facebook search tool, they will be able to find you. For more B2B work, Linkedin is useful for creating new professional relationships with people.

Twitter offers a chance to reach more new people with its immediacy and wide hashtag trend, whilst Instagram is ideal for companies that have amazing imagery they want to share.

There is also Google+ and Pinterest to consider. Do your research and decide what will work best for you. Don’t set up company accounts on all channels – audiences take time to build up and it is pointless to be on hundreds of channels when you don’t need them. Start with one or two which you can really focus on.

The key to creating a loyal audience is to post engaging and interesting content regularly, and to be patient. Don’t just sell sell sell, post links and videos that you’ve created alongside content you think is relevant and that your audience will enjoy, providing any necessary credits where needed. It is ok to be playful on social media, as long as you remain professional. Social tools are meant to be enjoyable, not boring.

How regularly should I post on social media?

You should be posting enough to keep people engaged but not so much that you force people to hit ‘Unlike’. For Facebook, one post every day or every other day tends to work well. Once you start posting you can see what times of the day work well for your business – for instance, perhaps Thursday nights get the most blog hits. You can use that information to boost posts, blogs and even adverts in the future.

Is it really worth the hassle?

Yes. Although at first it may seem like a huge time-constraint, setting up social media for your business can really help your company reach new audiences and potential clients. It also creates a social platform for your existing users to contact and engage with you on. Done well, social media for business helps bring credibility to your site, as if you have lots of likes or followers and a range of varied posts that are interacted with, you are more likely to generate new interest and business.

Social media is time-consuming and can often feel like a waste of time, but if you stick at it and learn how to engage your audience, you will soon appreciate its potential for generating new business growth.

If you’re struggling with managing your social media for business, why not contact our friends at Not Greedy Media, who can create personalised packages to help boost your digital presence.

If you’re more concerned about improving your business’ SEO, or simply want a change in website design, contact us on 01454373150, or email us at info@peak.agency.