In today’s world, it’s simply not enough to advertise your business using radio and/or newspaper ads. Your online presence is as vital to the continued success of your business as local advertising. Using social media only strengthens your position both online and off.
Using social media as part of your marketing campaign can produce a great deal of interest in your business. As most social media sites are free to utilize, there is very little risk to yourself or the business. The impact social media can have is worth the time to invest in order to expand.
1. Interaction – Those who frequent social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest are able to communicate with others they are following. This gives the consumer the feeling that he or she has a voice in your business. By interacting with those individuals, you are opening your business up to a clientele that feels your business cares about their input.
2. Sales and Promotions – Using social media, you are able to distribute information regarding sales and promotions on a large scale without putting a single dime into advertising. In order to generate continued local interest, you could offer a “Follow Us On…For Monthly Discounts” campaign in your physical location. The potential for using social media for your marketing is near endless.
3. Driving Addition Interest – Every time someone “likes”, “subscribes”, or “pins” content from your social media profile, others within the person’s circle are able to view these. This form of cross-advertising could generate additional interest in your products or services without the additional effort from yourself. As long as you provide regular information and updates to your social media content, the possibilities of new sales will continue to grow.
4. Attention from Searches – Social media sites are regularly crawled by search engines and indexed. By creating profiles surrounding your business’ name, a simple search could provide links to all of your social media interaction whether they are videos you posted on YouTube or the profile you created on Facebook. Once your business has established itself within the online community, you can begin building a reputation that could draw additional revenues from outside your physical locale.
5. Mobile Search Results – As the sales of mobile Internet-ready devices increase regularly, millions of people use search engines to find local products and services while on the move. A great deal of local consumers are tethered to their mobile devices which excludes methods of radio and many newspapers. Search engines such as Google and Bing tailor search results to the local area of the person using the engine. The more of an online presence you have for your specific niche, the greater your chances are of being in the top of those results as a provider.
6. Easy to Use – Updating content on your social media profile in order to continue your online presence is as simple as adding a paragraph here, a video there, or an image that could be shared across the Internet. You don’t have to be an expert in online marketing in order to create positive results from social media. All that is needed for this to become a successful venue is constant content.
Your survival may rely on the success of your business. It would be a safe bet that your competition is doing everything they can to keep the doors open. Social media is an excellent way to engage potential customers and keep them apprised of the events surrounding your business. Invest time into developing your social presence and see for yourself the results of using this marketing method. There is nothing to lose but the time you’ve invested.
*Author Bio:
Ken holds a master’s in business leadership from Upper Iowa University and multiple bachelor degrees from Grand View College. As president of morningsidenannies.com, Ken’s focus is helping Houston-based parents find the right childcare provider for their family. When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his three children and his wife.