Social media started in the early 2000s, so we can call it the gift of the millennium. In the next two decades we have seen how this wonderful gift spawned different genres of social networks to encompass the lives of more than half of the world’s population. And now we are entering yet another glorious phase of the same revolution – social media for business.

Social networks with their millions of subscribers are like gold mines for businesses, but the problem is lack of tools to dig deep into them. The recent drives by the social networking giants to incorporate several innovations have made social media for business a profitable new channel for business.

Social media for small businesses

Social media and small businesses are made for each other. Without a social media presence, your small business may be losing out on crucial branding opportunities. There are some significant benefits of social media for businesses, such as:

• Entice customers, gain customers’ feedbacks, and foster customer loyalty
• Add international markets to your market reach
• Conduct market research and cut marketing costs
• Create a network of customers and increase revenue by advertising
• Develop your brand, exchange ideas to improve how you do business,
• Hire skilled employees, for example, through job networking sites like LinkedIn. I
• ncrease traffic to your website, improve its search engine ranking.
• Keep an eye on your competitors.

At a lower cost than almost all other marketing channels, social media provides three fundamental advantages – targeting, reach, and scale. Everyone is on social media all day, every day. Brands must go where their customers are. We’ll look at the best practises for an effective social media marketing strategy,

How businesses use social media for marketing

You can reach customers and prospects wherever they are by incorporating social media into your small business marketing strategy. You can develop a successful social media presence to market your brand by following these tips:

Create a strategy for social media marketing.

Social media success is best achieved when you plan ahead. Developing a social media marketing strategy for each platform you intend to use is the first step.

Posting regularly is important

Your followers value consistency, so stick to a posting schedule. While being consistent, avoid posting too frequently, which may turn off your followers.

Create a distinct voice.

You should create a consistent voice and tone for your social media presence, one that resonates with your audience and influences their perception of your brand. Identify ways to relate to your audience without appearing overly concerned. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and speak your mind. As a result, your company is perceived as being friendly, flexible, and relevant.

Use social media to your advantage.

Run fun social media contests, link to your website or to special offers, etc. and host live videos with exciting updates or news to generate more leads and engage customers.

Identify your target audience.

To ensure that your content has reached the right audience, use your analytics tools to see demographic information, customer behavior, and social media trends. Knowing what your audience wants to see from you and responding accordingly can help you increase your engagement rates significantly.

The impact of social media on business can be summarized as under.

• Allow businesses to reach targeted audiences.
• Help make your business omnipresent.
• Help brand building at lower cost and time.
• Increase loyalty. Increase word-of-mouth referrals.
• Increase industry awareness and collaboration.
• Help run personalized campaigns at a much lower cost.
• Increase customer engagement with current customers and gain new customers.
• Improve communication with customers

If you are a startup or small business and do not yet have a good social media presence, it is a disadvantage. No matter what type of a business you are in, social media can benefit you in multiple ways.

Source- Fluidscapes
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