According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites. Social Media Examiner states 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media—but 85% of participants aren’t sure what social media tools are the best to use.
The first question I always get asked is how will I/my company benefit from using social media. Social Media is not for every one or every company. For some companies social media is not a good avenue. Insurance companies, lawyers offices, funeral homes are a few that come to mind.
Benefits of Social Media
Customer Experience/Service
I am putting this one first since I feel it is the most important. Customers are on their phones all the time. If they are having an issue changes are they will talk about it on social media as it is happening. This gives you a change to get in front of a problem immediately. You may be able to jump in an address the issue before it gets out of hand. You can monitor social media for people looking for your services or products and jump into the conversation. Last winter I was looking for a snowblower and was talking about it on Twitter. During this conversation I had a snowblower company jump in tell me all about their product.
You need to always respond to both the good and bad posts. People watch how you respond to a problem. You can turn a compliant into a good customer experience just by publicity handling it quickly. Every interaction is an opportunity to showcase your customer service.
You can learn from your social media followers. See what they are looking for and gain some knowledge from them.
Brand Recognition
By using social media, it allows you to get your name out there on more platforms. Now you cant just have a page and never use it for this to work. Social media allows you to become more accessible, familiar and recognizable to customers. The more your name is out there in front of someone the changes are they will remember you when they need your services.
Brand Loyalty
Social media brings your company to a more personal/human level with your customers. You can have a conversation with them. It humanizes your brand. Potential customers are watching how you interact with your current customers, how to help them with issues they are having, how you value their opinions, etc.
Opportunities to Convert
Social media gives you the opportunity to send traffic to your web site. Conversions can come from every post, image, video you share. These posts give potential customers a chance to react to your brand and their reaction could lead to them visiting your site and being a customer.
Better SEO
Google and other search engines are constantly changing their ranking systems so no one can figure them out. They are placing less relevance on keywords and title tags. They are focusing on links and the content on your site. This is why social media can play a big role in SEO. The more people that mention your brand on social media the better you are. The more keyword rich posts you can post on your own social media sites the better. Search engines say a social media presence shows the company is legitimate, credible, and trustworthy.
Increase in Traffic to Your Web Site
The more locations your name is out there on the web the better chance a potential customer will find your company. Social media gives you more pathways for potential customers to find you. If you don't use social media you are dependent on potential customers already knowing your brand or for them to type in the right keywords into a search. Social media increases your odds of being found.