Best​ ​for​ ​business:​ ​10​ ​benefits​ ​of​ ​social​ ​media

If​ ​you’re​ ​a​ ​marketer​ ​for​ ​business,​ ​chances​ ​are​ ​you​ ​already​ ​know​ ​social​ ​media​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​part
of​ ​your​ ​strategy.​ ​However,​ ​you​ ​might​ ​be​ ​unsure​ ​of​ ​just​ ​how​ ​critical​ ​social​ ​media​ ​can​ ​be​ ​to​ ​your
marketing​ ​program’s​ ​success.​ ​Here​ ​are​ ​some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​reasons​ ​your​ ​business​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​seriously
step​ ​up​ ​their​ ​social​ ​media​ ​efforts:
1. Increase​ ​brand​ ​awareness​ ​-​ ​Make​ ​it​ ​easier​ ​for​ ​customers​ ​to​ ​find​ ​you,​ ​and​ ​communicate
with​ ​you.​ ​A​ ​study​ ​by​ ​The​ ​Social​ ​Habit​​ ​shows​ ​that​ ​53​ ​percent​ ​of​ ​Americans​ ​who​ ​follow
brands​ ​on​ ​social​ ​are​ ​more​ ​loyal​ ​to​ ​those​ ​brands​.
2. Run​ ​targeted​ ​ads​ ​and​ ​see​ ​the​ ​results​ ​in​ ​real-time​ ​-​ ​Social​ ​ads​ ​are​ ​inexpensive,​ ​and​ ​offer
powerful​ ​targeting​ ​tools​ ​for​ ​distributing​ ​your​ ​message​ ​and​ ​content.​ ​Facebook​ ​and
LinkedIn​ ​both​ ​offer​ ​several​ ​demographics​ ​for​ ​targeting,​ ​and​ ​you​ ​can​ ​view​ ​and​ ​measure
results​ ​in​ ​real-time.
3. Gain​ ​critical​ ​customer​ ​insights​ ​-​ ​Every​ ​day​ ​there​ ​are​ ​over​ 5 ​ 00​ ​million​ ​Tweets​,​ ​4.5​ ​billion
Likes​ ​on​ ​Facebook​,​ ​and​ ​95​ ​million​ ​photos​ ​and​ ​videos​ ​uploaded​ ​to​ ​Instagram​.​ ​What’s
behind​ ​all​ ​these​ ​numbers?​ ​A​ ​wealth​ ​of​ ​information​ ​about​ ​your​ ​customers,​ ​that​ ​you​ ​can
apply​ ​to​ ​your​ ​business​ ​decisions.
4. Increase​ ​your​ ​web​ ​traffic​ ​and​ ​search​ ​rankings​ ​-​ ​One​ ​of​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​benefits​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sound
social​ ​media​ ​strategy​ ​is​ ​an​ ​increase​ ​in​ ​website​ ​traffic.​ ​Not​ ​only​ ​does​ ​social​ ​media​ ​help
direct​ ​people​ ​to​ ​your​ ​website,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​more​ ​social​ ​media​ ​shares​ ​you​ ​receive,​ ​the​ ​higher
you​ ​can​ ​expect​ ​your​ ​search​ ​rankings​ ​to​ ​go.
5. Generate​ ​better​ ​converting​ ​leads​ ​-​ ​Many​ ​first-class​ ​companies​ ​rate​ ​social​ ​media​ ​as​ ​the
most​ ​effective​ ​way​ ​to​ ​identify​ ​key​ ​decision​ ​makers​ ​and​ ​find​ ​new​ ​business​ ​opportunities.
6. Improve​ ​customer​ ​service​ ​-​ ​Learn​ ​about​ ​dissatisfied​ ​customers​ ​quickly,​ ​and​ ​build​ ​a
strong​ ​reputation​ ​for​ ​customer​ ​satisfaction​ ​by​ ​responding​ ​directly.
7. Stay​ ​relevant​ ​-​ ​Part​ ​of​ ​staying​ ​in​ ​business​ ​is​ ​staying​ ​relevant.​ ​Social​ ​media​ ​not​ ​only
gives​ ​your​ ​company​ ​a​ ​view​ ​into​ ​how​ ​it​ ​can​ ​better​ ​deliver​ ​for​ ​your​ ​customers,​ ​it​ ​keeps​ ​you
present​ ​in​ ​an​ ​environment​ ​where​ ​your​ ​competitors​ ​are​ ​too.
8. Get​ ​instant​ ​feedback​ ​-​ ​The​ ​good​ ​and​ ​the​ ​bad!​ ​You​ ​need​ ​to​ ​know​ ​if​ ​your​ ​company​ ​has
customers​ ​that​ ​are​ ​unhappy​ ​with​ ​any​ ​product​ ​or​ ​service​ ​your​ ​business​ ​provides.​ ​See
point​ ​#6​ ​for​ ​what​ ​you​ ​can​ ​do​ ​to​ ​leverage​ ​even​ ​a​ ​bad​ ​experience.
9. Decrease​ ​overall​ ​marketing​ ​costs​ ​-​ ​According​ ​to​ ​Hubspot​,​ ​84%​ ​of​ ​marketers​ ​found​ ​they
were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​see​ ​increased​ ​website​ ​traffic​ ​with​ ​as​ ​little​ ​as​ ​six​ ​hours​ ​a​ ​week​ ​spent​ ​on
social​ ​media.​ ​Spending​ ​one​ ​hour​ ​a​ ​day​ ​on​ ​free​ ​or​ ​low-cost​ ​social​ ​channels​ ​can
accomplish​ ​the​ ​same​ ​outcomes​ ​as​ ​forms​ ​of​ ​paid​ ​advertising.
10. Engage​ ​people​ ​at​ ​events​ ​-​ ​Does​ ​your​ ​company​ ​use​ ​events,​ ​conferences,​ ​or​ ​festivals​ ​for
marketing?​ ​If​ ​so,​ ​make​ ​sure​ ​you’re​ ​integrating​ ​social​ ​media​ ​-​ ​the​ ​easiest​ ​way​ ​is​ ​to
develop​ ​a​ ​hashtag​ ​for​ ​your​ ​specific​ ​event.

These​ ​results​ ​are​ ​just​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​benefits​ ​you’ll​ ​see​ ​when​ ​utilizing​ ​a​ ​strategic​ ​social
media​ ​plan​ ​for​ ​your​ ​business.