More and more entrepreneurs are depending on social media to promote their business and market their products. Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
Today, social media has become the platform of choice for entrepreneurs to market their products and services.
Facebook and Instagram, for instance, are some popular online marketing platforms for those who are running their businesses either full-time or part-time. In fact, 80 per cent of Instagram users follow at least one business account.
Needless to say, having the knowledge and skills to make full use of social media will give you an advantage in growing your business.
Here are eight reasons why social media is important in marketing your business:
Many People Use Social Media
It is estimated that there are four billion social media users worldwide, with Facebook, YouTube, Whatsapp and Instagram among the most popular networks for users of various ages.
This shows how vital social media is in our daily lives; given that its users account for over half of the world’s population, the possibility of finding your market base is endless.
Increase Your Brand Presence Online
Taking advantage of the benefits of marketing through social media might give you a better chance in introducing your brand or attracting potential customers.
To illustrate, in a study by Sherpa Marketing, most social media users in Canada follow famous brands compare to celebrities. Plus, according to Hootsuite, around 83 per cent of Instagram users have discovered new products through the platform.
Highly Relevant Communication and Promotion Tool
Social media today isn’t just a tool for people to socialise online.
As its usage is becoming more widespread, social media can be utilised as a tool to grow business networks and promote products in addition to communicating with customers, thanks to features offered by social networking platforms to facilitate business growth.
A ‘Breaker’ in Buying and Selling
Marketing your products through social media can indirectly help improve the buying and selling process in your business, particularly when it is used as part of your marketing and promotional techniques, which can be different from traditional ones.
Avenue to Advertise Content
Many entrepreneurs use Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn to advertise their businesses. This is because today’s consumers, especially online, tend to get attracted to advertising approaches that utilise visual content, particularly those that are appealing and creative.
Potential to Go Viral
Social media has enabled users to convey and receive information quickly and easily. You may have wondered before how some content that was originally shared by your friends or relatives have since gone viral online.
One reason is due to a network of users liking, leaving comments and sharing videos or statuses to other users in their own social media accounts, more so when such content trigger certain emotions within them.
More Focus on Customers and Viewer Bonds
Maintaining your relationship with your existing customers is as important as searching for potential ones, even on social media.
Therefore, if you want your customers and followers to be ‘attached’ to all of your social media sharing and activities, you need to get out of your comfort zone first by doing things you’re not used to doing that benefit others.
You also need to stay active and engaged on your social media so that existing and potential customers can see the progress of your business at all times, as well as respond to every comment and question that you post.
Opening a Social Media Account is Free
Especially for those who are starting out, this is one of the main reasons why social media is the preferred marketing platforms for entrepreneurs. Most of these platforms can act as an intermediary between you and your customers.
For example, Facebook can be used in various ways, be it a virtual store, an online catalogue or others. It even provides a free ‘marketplace’ for you to sell your products.
