5 Reasons Why Your Business NEEDS A Social Media Presence

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Remember when AIM instant messenger was a thing? And MySpace had as all learning basic cod in order to change our wall designs? We’ve come a long way. Social media has transformed right before our eyes from a place where we show off our “top friends” and play Farmville into a place where users can now seek out and conduct business. This has opened new doors for businesses big and small to leverage any social network’s users and turn them into potential customers or vise versa.

Even with all of the technological innovations to social platforms and the smart devices we use them on, a lot of business owners have trouble seeing the benefits of having a social media presence. Some simply can’t justify allocating the time and resources needed, while others don’t see the value in hiring an employee or agency to handle their social media profiles. To put it broadly, there is a lot to be gained simply by having an active presence on multiple social media platforms.

It’s FREE: The first reason is simply that all of the major social media platforms are free to use. Yes, it may cost you money to create content for your social channels (depending on what type of content you want to create) and you may even want to hire someone to run your social media platforms for you, but it costs you nothing to create an account and build your presence. If at the very minimum you create an account on any social platform and only one person finds your business’s page and buys your product, or comes to your store, or shares one of your posts with their friends it cost you NOTHING. Social media platforms offer a place to be discovered and it cost $0.00 to get started.

Build Awareness: In today’s world people don’t just use social media to check up on their relatives or stalk their exes. I mean we do, but that’s not ALL we do. People use social media to gain new information, to “look things up”. So if your a new or small business and a potential customer hears about you the first thing they are going to do search up your business's name. Maybe on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and even Linkedin depending on the context. If your business is not able to be found during said search how is anyone supposed to do business with you?

Social Proof: Humans are social creatures. We like things that other people like. On social media, you show this keeping a constant and concerted effort to maintain your social presence. Don’t worry about the number of followers or like, those will come, just focus on being able to be found and being active. That is all the social proof you need. On the other hand, if you are found but your profile is not active it also can make you look bad. But when a business’s profile is easy to find and is putting forth effort it sends a positive message to anyone who comes across your page that your business has some level of authority and recognition in your industry.

Engagement: Having a social media profile also opens up a two - way street for you to engage your followers and vice versa. This is important for a few reasons. The first being that you can provide a super convenient form of customer service. Any questions your followers may have about your business can be answered rather quickly and in a direct manner. This can not only lead to new customers who are seeking more information but can also help turn a one time customer into a loyal customer. More importantly, engaging with your followers personifies your business. It adds a level of humility in the eyes of the consumer. It shows that you care about your customers and you actually take the time to contact them. You can even ask for feedback from your followers. Instagram and Facebook make it so easy to add polls and questions where you can ask your followers which new product you should add, or what type of content they would like to see you post.

Finding Other Businesses: Social media is also a great way to find other businesses. Maybe another clothing brand that is similar to yours and wants to do collaboration on a new line of products. Or maybe a local wholesaler will find you on Instagram and offer you a cheaper price while also being closer to you your store. You can even find groups on Facebook for specific types of business owners that serves as a forum for common business questions or best practices. This is perfect for getting insight from others who are in the same industry as you and may have more experience than you.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, as technology continues to change the way people consume media and spend their money, businesses have to follow suit. Creating a social media presence is the number one way to do just that. Keep in mind, it’s not about the number of followers or how many likes you get. Listed above are the 5 very important reasons that aren't based on getting likes or followers. Social media is all about being discovered and being social. This used to only apply to people using the platform, now it also applies to business.