Social Media…a force to be reckoned with in the digital marketing era; the infamous beast that undoubtedly runs our lives.
Since 2004, the year Facebook entered the scene (and the year I graduated high school), the internet has continuously progressed and is STILL experiencing breakthroughs that positively (and sometimes negatively) affect our lives and most certainly our businesses. Social Media platforms were created with one concrete purpose—to rapidly share information and to offer faster communication. For business owners, it has become a widely-used tool for establishing and growing businesses, allowing them to reach well beyond the typical “pounding the pavement” mentality.
With that being said, those who immediately jumped on the social bandwagon leveraged the insane benefits that go hand-in-hand. Those who still have not, are trailing far behind. Is there a way to catch up? Yes! But it takes intense planning and Social Media Management to build that strong foundation of growth and branding for your business online.
Social Media [Can] Cut Down The Business Expense
There’s no denying that traditional marketing is attached to hefty price tags. But, like many things in life, the process takes time before you see results. You cannot guarantee to have a strong ROI; that’s the stimaga with marketing in general. As costs continue to rise in our society, businesses are looking for ways to reduce costs. They are choosing to market online because the result—collecting leads and turning them into customers—is seamless and quicker. Oh, and more tangible! Also, it doesn’t always require you to spend a lot of money.
For example, posting on social media about your business (i.e. promo, sale, new products, etc.) has a wider reach (especially when it goes viral) than let’s say a local mailing list for postcard mailers. This is because your posts can be shared and re-shared by other people. The point is, your online audience can do the marketing for your business, which results in a free residual advertisement and cuts down expenses.
Advertise Globally
Managing your posts regularly can attract a larger audience and turn them into loyal customers/followers. This is by posting often and providing value to your followers, which in turn will make them want to share the content on their feeds. A simple domino effect, allows posts to be visible anywhere in the world within seconds – hence the name the World Wide Web (www).
Saves You Time & Builds Engagement
In order to be manage your Social Media Calendar, it is important to consider a publishing tool for automatic posting purposes. This allows you to free up more time to focus on other aspects of your business as well as it allows you to schedule posts out for weeks or months on end so your platforms are always flowing with content.
This in turn boosts engagement with your audience. Another time-saving technique is setting up auto-replies that can answer general questions that roll in from potential customers.
The Gist
With the investment in Social Media Management, your entity can reap a wide range of benefits that will surely help your business grow. The downside is that it requires your time and the right approach until you get familiarized with the process. People who don’t frequent Social Media for their businesses don’t fully grasp how much time it takes to do it right. Many times I hear people say that it must be fun to just play on Facebook all day. The truth is, the smallest part is actually being performed on the platform itself. The bulk of the time is researching and writing content, designing graphics, and making sure the information that is set to be shared will be of use to the customer base.
Running a business is hard. Running a business and having to maintain a Social Media Calendar is even harder. The greatest thing you can do for your business is to seek help where you need it. Social Media, for most, is one of those areas. Now is the time to take action and get up to speed. Social Media is not going anywhere, so let’s make sure your business doesn’t either.