73% of small business owners now use social media to power their brand..
You’re not alone. Over 73% of small business owners are now using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest to help grow their businesses. And if you are still standing on the social sidelines, there’s never been a better time to get started.
1. Social media is popular, really very popular:-
You don’t need to be a dedicated reader of tech blogs or an expert in online marketing to know that social media is really popular among consumers. With over 1 billion (yes, 1 billion) people on Facebook, 200 million people on Twitter, and 200 million more on LinkedIn—social media will touch nearly every customer that walks through your door.For most small businesses, Facebook is the jumping-off point for getting started with social media marketing. With it’s extensive reach and dynamic functionality—there are very few businesses that couldn’t benefit from having a presence on Facebook. And starting there will make it easier when you want to try something new.
2. Social media sites are free :-
There’s no catch—getting started on social media is completely free. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn all offer free accounts to users and businesses and signing up won’t require anything more than an email address. Some sites—like LinkedIn—do offer paid accounts with features that are targeted at more advanced users, but for the purposes of getting started, there’s no upfront cost for most of the social networks.3. Social media reaches all ages and demographics :-
Social media has really broken down all of the age barriers that once accompanied the ways people thought about social media. In fact, according to a 2011 study conducted by IBM, Baby Boomers have demonstrated the most growth on social media sites. In 2010, 72% were using Facebook, Twitter, and other networks — up from 50% in 2009. So, no matter how young or how old your target audience may be, chances are most of them are already logging on and waiting for you to get started.
4. Social media users are active :-
One thing you have to know about social media users is that when they say they are on social media, they are really on social media. When it comes to Facebook, more than half of its users log on to the network every single day and 60 percent of those users say checking Facebook is one of the first things they do every day. This level of activity isn’t unique to Facebook either, today more than 400 million tweets are sent on Twitter each day. While a customer may visit your store once a week—they could see you on Facebook or Twitter every single day.5. Social media encourages two-way communication :-
There is no marketing tool available to small businesses today, that provides the type of two-way communication that comes with using social media. It has the power to take any of the feedback you may receive from using a tool like email marketing and supercharge it— letting customers share their thoughts, questions, and ideas quickly and publicly without having to take the time to write an entire email. And it allows you to respond just as fast, without having to pick up the phone or worry the customer isn’t seeing your response.
6. Social media lets you share A LOT about your business :-
Social media sites are becoming the go-to place for consumers who want to learn more about a business. That’s because these sites allow businesses to offer the most up-to-date information about anything from products, services, or upcoming events.
Also, much of your activity and profiles on social media sites can be made “public,” meaning they can be indexed by search engines — one more way to make sure your business or organization comes up as the answer when someone is searching for a local solution to a problem.
7. Social media is everywhere :-
Today, more than half of all Americans are smartphone users and more and more businesses are offering mobile-friendly experiences. The benefit of the increased presence of mobile activity in our daily lives is huge for small businesses. Every major social network (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.) offer free mobile apps that let business owner manage their presence on-the-go.More importantly, these apps let customers connect to their favorite sites wherever they are. For a site like Twitter, 60% of its entire userbase is connected via their smartphones, tablets, or other mobile devices. These users aren’t just sharing updates from their own lives, they’re searching for businesses, products, and services, and connecting with brands through their social channels.
If your business is running late when it comes to making your content “mobile-friendly,” social media can be an easy and cost-effective first step to marketing in the digital age. Plus, it can improve the chances of your business getting found when someone is searching for a place to eat or a product to buy, while on-the-go.
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