3 Reasons why you can’t afford to not be on social media
In today's society, business has emerged to the online world. One of the biggest game changers for companies has been the introduction to social media. While the majority are embracing this new and exciting era that we find ourselves in, there is of course the very few that are unaware of the benefits that social media has to offer. We have put together 3 reasons why you can't afford to not be on social media.
Many people think of social media as this unnecessary and expensive waste of time. Truth be told, NOT being on social media is expensive and a waste of time. No business in this day and age can afford to NOT be on social platforms. Good social media presence is not just merely an option, it is necessary for brands nowadays. In the past couple of years, marketing in social media channels has grown rapidly and is expected to more than double in the next 5 years. In case you have not yet gotten your business online, may my 3 reasons of why you can’t afford to NOT be on social media encourage you to get on it asap.
CHEAPER AND MORE ADVANCED APPROACH TO MARKETING
- Versus traditional types of marketing like radio, billboard, and TV, social media is targeted specifically towards your desired audience. This is a new generation of marketing, no more “spray & pray,” no more hoping your “bait” will hook someone. To prove social media saves businesses money, let’s discuss one of my clients, we’ll call him “Max” for the sake of this article. Max was spending thousands in marketing on channels like radio, newspaper, TV, and even billboards. He eventually had enough of not receiving an ROI and decided to give social media a try. I began marketing for him on Facebook and Instagram, with HALF the budget he was spending before, and INCREASED his leads by 50%. This is not to “brag” about results, I am simply proving the power of social media and what it can do for you.
Build Trust, Exposure and Brand Awareness
Being on social media and simply “popping up on someone’s news feed” isn’t just merely posting a picture of your restaurant’s food or your store’s new collection. It’s the fact that you are building trust and awareness about your brand. You are developing an online presence and getting people familiar with your product or service, your name, your logo, your branding/vibe, so that once you DO go in for the sale, it is a more smooth transition and they are actually WILLING to buy. They are asking WHERE, HOW, WHEN?! This is because you have developed an online presence with fans that have gotten comfortable and have developed trust with your brand.
Lead Generation
Lead generation is all about bringing the right people through the right process of a sales funnel. This is not the same as selling, think of this as gathering intelligence on your customers. You get to know what your targeted audience is interested in, which products they’d be interested in buying from you, and what their pain points are. Before, “lead generation” consisted of sending surveys out in the mail or filling out a form on the back of magazines. Today, lead generation is all about the content, the video marketing, the email opt ins, the paid ad campaigns, these are all aimed at getting potential customers into your funnel. The power of the internet allows lead generation to be done faster, quicker, and it’s easy to track. 40% of people socialize on social media more than they do face to face, the data social media collects on people has made it the perfect place to find your targeted audience and turn them into sales leads.
It is easier than you think to begin to reap the rewards and benefits of social media for your brand. Like mentioned before, in this day and age, social media will sooner or later not merely be a choice, it will be crucial for businesses to thrive. The bottom line is this - if your business is not on social media while your competitors are busy developing a social media presence and strategy to gain new fans and ultimately sales, who do you think will be more relevant in the consumers’ mind? In the end, the debate over whether it should be used at all or not, is a closed case in my books!
Written by: Christina McMasters