The Benefits of Social Media for Small Businesses
In this article, we’ll be looking at the value of social media for small businesses.
Small businesses can have a lot on their plate. Often, it’s their social media marketing that falls of the to-do list when they’re short on resources or time.
Whilst social media marketing is time consuming … small businesses cannot afford to miss opportunities to reach and engage their target market. Not only that, but an inactive social media presence can be a warning signal for consumers who are sceptical about trying a new product / service from an unfamiliar brand.
Social media marketing leads to visibility. Small businesses need to recognise the value of social media marketing and implement a thoughtful strategy that is designed to engage their target audience.
Large Companies V.S Small Companies
Larger companies, likely because of their greater budget and more resources, are more likely to invest in social media. 85% of businesses with more than 51 employees invest in social media, whereas 58% of businesses with only 1 employ will invest in social media.
Social media is crucial for any sized business, since it helps build brand awareness, to connect with consumers and raises customer bases.
The Benefits of Social Media for Small Businesses
Whilst having a lot of followers is great, it’s not the be-all and end-all. Your success doesn’t depend on how many followers your social accounts have, it falls down to your customer engagement.
1. Building a Community
You don’t need to have thousands of followers from across the world to be successful. Small businesses can easily connect with individuals to build a loyal community.
With less followers, it’s easy to handle comments from customers, reply promptly and answer any queries.
Encourage reviews, questions, shares, likes, comments and build a loyal band of followers.
2. Building Relationships
Social media isn’t just about advertising and selling products. As we mentioned above, it can be used to build a loyal community that look forward to viewing your next post.
Social media marketing is built on people – provide a voice for your business and connect with consumers to build a powerful band of brand advocates.
3. Controlling Your Image
Social media for small businesses is all about your online image.
As a member of a small business, social media allows you to portray the image you want to share. It’s easy to monitor your reputation, have an active presence and build a professional profile.
4. Flexible Cost
Social media marketing can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. But as a small business, paying for advertising on social media does not have to come with a hefty price tag.
Big businesses might have cash to burn on social media, but small businesses don’t need to splash out to be successful.
If you want, just target your local consumer base and consumers within a certain radius to your business.
You don’t necessarily need to pay a penny …
- – Encourage followers to share your posts
- – Update on promotions, offers and discounts
- – Share news about products and services
- – Share industry related news
Invest in Social Media Marketing Today
Social media marketing is a must-have for businesses, no matter the size.
Good intentions can be for nothing if you don’t have the time, expertise and marketing know-how to successful run a social media marketing strategy.
Short for time and resources? Different Gravy Digital can help.
Find out more about what we can do for you.
Why not check out our Digital Marketing Terms Glossary?
About the author:
Marie Harwood is a Digital Marketing Assistant at Different Gravy Digital, Hale, Cheshire.
Different Gravy Digital are a full service Digital Marketing Agency operating in the Hospitality & Leisure, Financial Services, Legal & Property sectors. Products and services range from; 3D & 360° Tours, Website Design & Build, Social Media, Video Production, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Content Creation, Email Marketing, Online Feedback / Review Systems and Paid Advertising (Google, Bing and Social Media).
Contact Details:
marie@differentgravydigital.co.uk
0161 706 000
120a Ashley Road, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 2UN