What is Social Media?
For those new to the world of social media let’s get off on the right foot. There are many social platforms; the most popular are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn and not to forget Google+.
If you’re not using Social Media you should know that it is growing and growing quickly. As a small business owner, you might be thinking that you don’t have the time to mess about on social media sites; you need to run your business.
Did you know that people between the ages of 20 to 30 years of age check their Facebook account daily? The number of people using social network sites like Facebook to connect with friends and family is rising at an alarming rate. So the fact that you’re still waiting for the right moment, or simply just putting of using social media for your business, is no longer a valid option, unless you really want to miss out and hand over business to your competitors.
So what do you need to do as a small business owner new to social media?
Firstly, you can hire an assistant and pay them to help you. You can have them make sure that your ROI (Return On Investment) is within your budget. 85% of all business implementing a strategic Social Media Campaign has generated exposure.
So what are the advantages of social media?
More than half of companies have reported an increase in traffic due to getting social. By increasing traffic they were able to make more qualified leads.
- 56% of all companies created increased business partnerships because of social media
- 54% saw a rise in their search engine rankings as a direct result of becoming dynamic on the Social market
- 52% of the companies saw qualified leads increasing the opportunity for sales.
- 48% of companies were able to conclude that getting social increase their bottom line by selling more products. Getting social gave them a platform to discuss the benefits of current products, alert customers to new products and find out what their customers desire.
- 48% reported a decrease of marketing expenses last year.
Social media experts can help you figure out what your competition is doing. What is hot and what is not. What trends to follow and what not.
Socializing will take time and effort to achieve, but it is becoming more and more main stream. Large companies like IBM, Pepsi have jumped into Social Media Marketing years ago, as much as many small business have. Budgets for getting social can be small at first and build as your ROI starts progressing.
Remember the time spent on this type of marketing will be of great use. Socialize before you find yourself playing catch up with your competitors. Social media marketing works for businesses and if yours is yet to take advantage, don’t wait a minute longer. If you need further reasons what your business should take advantage of social media, check out the following post on Social Media Today: 13 Reasons Why Using Social Media for Business is Non-Negotiable
So where do you start?
image courtesy of Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonahowie/