There are many opportunities that are available for any business to grow, the best and easiest is to take advantage of social media.
You have recently started a business. Every action taken now feels like it is filled with hope!
Once you get into the daily grind of operational duties, the world of a business startup isn’t quite as glamorous. You can find 18-hour days waiting for you, weeks without a paycheck, and lots of loneliness in the early days.
The most successful startups come from people who work longer and harder than others. They’re the dedicated people who launch an idea without believing that magic can make it great.
How Does Social Media Help Businesses Grow?
Many business startups use sites like Facebook and Twitter to start reaching out to potential customers. You can find others focusing on a more B2B platforms, such as LinkedIn.
Even Instagram and Pinterest deliver potential growth opportunities for startups when the correct approach is taken.
Before you dive right into this world, it should be noted that most, but not all, startups benefit from social media marketing. That’s why you’ll want to review the following points to see if they apply to your idea.
1. Social media generates brand awareness.
The first benefit that social media offers to startups today is a platform that helps founders get the word out about their brand. People won’t know about your products or services unless you tell them what to expect from the experience.
Your followers, fans, and connections on social media are people who want to get to know your business.
That means you have opportunities to gain exposure while establishing meaningful relationships. Shoppers want to work with brands they can trust, and social media provides evidence of this need.
Once you have some people completing their transactions, the positive experiences they receive make them more likely to tell others about your startup. [1]
2. Social media is where the audience is for your startup.
In the past, new businesses were advised to find where their targeted audience liked to gather in their community.
If you wanted to reach families with religious preferences and a moderate income, you might consider joining the local church, mosque, or synagogue.
About 70% of Americans currently use social media networks for multiple purposes. When you expand that figure to the global population, nearly half of the world’s population uses at least one website like Facebook or Twitter. [2]
That means a social media presence for a startup can reach virtually every customer that visits your website or walks through your door.
Most startups begin with a Facebook page because it has billions of active monthly users. If you take the extra step of researching your audience, you’ll find the right place to launch this effort.
3. Social media is surprisingly affordable.
Social media platforms are adding numerous algorithms that filter what their users see when scrolling. That means your organic content can get lost in the shuffle when trying to establish a presence with your startup.
Although organic content is the most affordable choice, you’ll also find that the paid ads on today’s social media websites are remarkably affordable. It’s a way to promote your content while providing special offers. [3]
Since social media uses numerous demographic data points to filter their audience profiles, you can put your startup’s branding in front of the people who are the most interested in what you offer.
4. Social media reaches almost everyone with its pull.
Social media services are an investment that can reach everyone. It’s one of the few outreach efforts that startups can use today that defies age barriers. [4]
Although the majority of people on social media are typically between the ages of 18-29, about one-third of the audience is in the 65 and older category.
You can also find teens active on social media frequently, along with adults in the middle age categories. [5]
When you’re ready to explore how these platforms can extend your reach, it helps to know what audience to consider first. Although it might be tempting to go after them all, you’ll find that locking down your message for some specific demographics could be the key to helping your business grow.
5. Social media encourages two-way engagement with potential customers.
When was the last time you trusted a stranger to watch your kids while you took a long vacation?
How did it work when you pulled someone off the street to fill in your shift at a local volunteer agency?
The reality of relationships today is that they need trust to fuel their existence. You can say anything to anyone on the Internet, which means people want verification of your claims.
If you say that you can help, what can you offer to prove it?
The advantage that social media offers here is the two-way communication that happens on different posts and updates. When customers start sharing their ideas, thoughts, or questions, you can respond quickly without picking up a phone or worrying about a missed response through email. [6]
Each positive engagement that happens in social media’s public sphere has expanding benefits for business startups. When you can solve problems or engage in successful conversations that others see, it allows more people to feel like they can trust your brand.
6. Social media customers are frequently active.
If your business startup purchases traditional advertising on television or radio, do you know who will be listening when the content airs?
Although these forums have an idea about the audience you’ll reach, they cannot offer any guarantees. You don’t even know if the individuals are actively seeking your products or services!
Social media offers an entirely different experience. The one thing we know about this audience is that they’re active.
The average American social media user looks at their account or profiles a minimum of 17 times per day, and that figure can rise to over 100 in some circumstances. [7]
Although customers might only visit your online store or your physical location once per week or less, your startup’s presence on social media ensures that your branding stays at the top of the mind. [8]
The benefits of this awareness are profound.
-
It helps a business startup enhance its value within the marketplace by showing shoppers why their goods or services are the best available options.
-
Businesses can gain a competitive advantage by earning a higher market share due to continuous brand recognition.
-
It suggests to shoppers that the company can be innovative, which translates to that perspective transferring over to what is offered for sale.
-
The interactions offered can reinforce the positive consumer choices from the past, creating a desire to replicate that outcome in the future.
7. Social media lets you share information about your startup.
Even just a decade ago, it was on the business startup to move people through their sales funnels. The best way to proceed was to introduce an innovative idea, prove that it was the best, and show others how it solved their pain points.
The business was responsible for performing all the research for the customer.
Today’s shoppers are different. They often complete their product or service research before looking online to find a brand they trust.
That’s why social media is an essential investment for business startups. These platforms are the go-to destination for customers who want to learn more about a company without necessarily interacting with them.
Since most of your profile and online activity through social media is made public, these data points are index-able by search engines. That bonus ensures you can prove to everyone that you’ve got the answers to a problem someone faces.
8. Social media can help other marketing strategies.
The benefits of social media marketing for businesses go beyond the conversations and interactions that build loyalty and trust. You can use these advantages in your startup’s additional outreach efforts.
Today’s social media websites have changed how all businesses think about email marketing. When you can share a newsletter across your entire network instead of a simple subscriber list, your content opens up to an entirely new audience.
That’s a fast and easy way to start generating some extra buzz for your products or services!
This benefit doesn’t mean a business startup should ignore the traditional email marketing advantages that come with this investment. It’s possible to post links to join lists right on your social media profile page.
When you can combine these elements, your business startup has two powerful tools that reshape the marketing landscape. It levels the playing field against the big corporations because everyone connects with their audience in ways that build awareness and trust.
9. Social media can reach almost anyone (Maybe not the dead)
When you send direct mail to a customer, you’re trusting that the item gets into their hands with the help of third-party carriers.
If you advertise on TV or the radio, you’re trusting that shoppers are watching or listening at specific times. Even print-based ads, like those found in newspapers and magazines, involve trust and luck for brand discovery.
Is that how a business startup should plan for brand building and awareness?
The benefits of social marketing for businesses include an elimination of the luck factor. People can access their profiles from almost anywhere with today’s mobile devices, which means there are multiple contact opportunities throughout the day. [9]
People do more on social media than connect with a favourite site or search for specific services. They connect with brands through social channels, look for ways to improve their lives, and brag about their kids and accomplishments.
When you have a social media presence with mobile accessibility, you can improve your chances of getting found. Add a responsive website into that mix for a fantastic recipe that can lead to more conversions.
10. Social media delivers the perfect customer service medium.
Social marketing services include customer interactions when shoppers encounter a problem. It eliminates the phone call and wait times that have been necessary in the past because consumers can send a direct message to start a conversation.
Today’s social media websites let customers know how responsive a business is to its messaging. That means you can encourage this communication by offering a timely answer each time someone sends a query.
How can businesses use social media to communicate with customers? It goes beyond the service sphere to offer proactive messaging with orders. Business startups can have conversations on different posts before a sale occurs or reach out after a transaction to see if everything is working as it should.
It’s a valuable tool because social media delivers instant gratification.
There are more reasons than good public relations to incorporate this element into your startup’s routine. The companies that engage with customer service requests on social media platforms can earn up to 40% more revenue. [10]
[10] https://www.clarabridge.com/blog/top-10-social-customer-service-stats-of-2016
Are You Ready to Discover the Benefits of Social Media Services?
As a social media marketing agency in Scotland, our team recognizes that your business startup can benefit from several of these advantages.
If you’re sitting on the sidelines while the competition keeps enhancing their social media profiles, posts, and pages, your startup could be losing business opportunities without realising it!
You’re not alone if you are anxious or worried about not having enough time to start and maintain a social marketing services presence. We hear you! That’s why our team is standing by to give social media help. We also offer a social media management services so you can fully commit to your startup.
As Moda.digital is a social media marketing agency we can help generate beneficial content that promotes your expertise, find the right strategy and content to target, or explore audience data for potential growth opportunities.
Because we know how social media helps businesses grow, our team can help your startup find opportunities as they develop while managing your online presence in positive ways.
There is no time like the present to get started! If your business isn’t active on social media today, reach out to discuss your situation. You’ll find that these affordable advantages can spur fast growth!
