How Social Media Helps Small Business Thrive

Understand social media to grow and promote your business

An increasing number of small business owners (SMB) are using social media to grow their businesses, and it’s becoming clear why. Social media is a cost-effective marketing and communication channel, that serves as one of the best ways to reach and connect with your target audience. More and more people are using social media to help them make buying decisions and searching for the products and services they need on social media platforms. While many small business owners have leveraged the benefits of social media, many are still in the dark about how it can be used to help their business grow. Here are several examples of how social media can be used as a powerful business tool:

1. Publishing engaging and share-worthy content to position your business and brand as a thought leader in your industry

2. Running highly targeted, cost-effective ad campaigns for brand awareness and education

3. Engaging regularly to connect with your online community and develop a positive and thoughtful social media presence

Using Content to Drive Interaction

Sharing engaging, interesting and helpful content makes use of the connectedness of social media. When you share content that’s valuable to your audience, they’ll share your content with others in their network, widening your reach and potential engagement. This active content strategy can help you build followers, establish your brand and gain new customers. Consistently publishing great content on social media is one of the best ways to grow your presence and brand equity within your network and beyond.

Running Targeted Ad Campaigns

Social media is a low-cost and easy way to advertise your business. There are ample targeting options that you can use to hone in on your best potential audience and get your brand and message in front of the right people. You can target audiences according to many different characteristics from location, gender, income, interests, job titles and more.

Facebook specifically, has a remarketing option that allows you to market to users that have already visited your website. That means that if your visitors have not made a purchase the first time around, they’ll be reminded of your business when they log on to Facebook the next time.

Using Social Media Engagement to Stay Connected

Small business owners can build relationships and stay connected with their audience through social media. Starting meaningful discussions, hosting live Q&A sessions and running surveys can be extremely beneficial to a SMB, and easily done via social media. Being interactive with your audience shows customers that you are authentic and accessible, which builds brand equity and customer loyalty. Many small business owners are even using social media for customer support, to address the real-time needs and issues of customers.

In fact:

1 in 3 social media users prefer social media customer care services to telephone or email
An estimated 67% of consumers now use social media networks like Twitter and Facebook to seek resolution for issues
Customers spend 20-40% more with companies that engage and respond to customers via social media
Nearly 70% of consumers have said that they have used social media for issues to do with customer service on at least one occasion
Source: Social Media Examiner

The bottom line is that social media is a channel that offers many opportunities for a SMB.

About the Author
Sitedart Hosting
Sitedart Hosting was founded in 2009 in North Carolina as an expansion of Dnet Internet Services (1995). Sitedart Hosting provides service to thousands of customers around the country, with a focus on small businesses. We’ve built a reputation of providing great support with a personal touch.