INTERVIEW + 4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Need To Be Active On Social Media

This entry was posted in eCommerce Basics and tagged ecommercemarketingnigeriasite buildersocial mediastorefront on April 18, 2016 by Desola Lanre-Ologun.

In this digital age, having a website is great but simply not enough. Your digital storefront needs to extend to social media marketing sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, LinkedIn, BBM Channels, and others. You’re right, it’s an exhaustive list, but trying each one out and sticking with the ones that work for your business will have a great impact on your business success.

Here are four legitimate reasons why you need to start capitalizing on social media marketing or risk falling behind your competition.

1. Increase Brand Awareness:
Social media is a great way to introduce people to your brand. If people are not aware of your business or website’s existence, they cannot patronize you. Given the popularity and viral nature of social media, being active on social media gives you the opportunity to get your business in front of a LOT of potential customers.

Globally, there are over 1.5 billion social media users — Forbes

It is important to note that social media marketing is however not a popularity contest to see who can gain the most fans, followers, likes or retweets. While gaining a ton of followers and fans is a good thing, that in itself is not enough.

Fans, followers, likes e.t.c are only but a means to an end. To get the most out of social media marketing, a strategic approach is required.

Interacting and engaging with potential customers is really valuable, because the next time they need a product or service you offer, they will most likely remember you.

 2. Legitimize Your Brand
When people discover a new business they know little about, their next impulse might be to check social media to learn more about it and see what other people are saying about the business. Other times, they try to find you on social media just to see if you’re active. This is because they expect you to have Facebook and Twitter accounts (at least). If you don’t, you look less legitimate.

Being active on social media will not only help people find you but also make them more likely to trust and patronize you.

3. Increase Sales:
Social media marketing is highly effective for generating sales. Staying in front of your customer base will make them more likely to buy from you when they need the goods/services you sell. Updating your social media pages with posts that link to products/sales is a great way to directly steer customers toward the sales funnel.

78% of salespeople using social media perform better than their peers — Forbes

4. Increase Customer Service:
Customers want to be able to reach you if they have problems with your product or service. Social media gives you the opportunity to respond to these problems promptly.

By being receptive and responsive to customer needs, business owners can increase customer loyalty. At the end of the day, what you really want is loyal customers.

The probability of making a repeat customer buy a product are between 60–70 percent, whereas the chances a new customer will buy your product range between 5–20 percent — Marketing Metrics

If your business isn’t already active on social networking sites, now is the best time to start. It’s inexpensive so you don’t really need a huge budget for it to have a huge impact on your business success. It’s also really fun and exciting once you get the hang of it.

NOW, INTERVIEW WITH BRENDA MELLER
TOPIC: Integrating Social Media Into Business.

First Of All, Who's Brenda Meller?

- She is the assistant vice president of marketing at Walsh College.
- She is a social media/marketing consultant.

Interviewer: What advice would you give to an entrepreneur starting out on social media?

Meller: If you're starting a business and thinking about getting active on social media for your business, you should. I would encourage entrepreneurs to keep in mind there is little distinction between personal and professional use of social media. In other words, your worlds will collide and you should embrace it rather than try to separate your personal and professional use of social media.

Specifically:

• Get on LinkedIn and get active. Build your profile. Use the site to connect with and engage with others. 
• Set up a company page on LinkedIn and a company page on Facebook. ConsiderPinterest if it fits your business, and dabble in Twitter if you can make the time. 
• Ask other entrepreneurs for their advice on social media. What worked for them and why? What didn't and why? 

Interviewer: Which social media tools should small businesses have and why?

Meller: I wouldn't suggest investing in any subscriptions when you first start a business, although an email service like constant contact may be worth a small investment if you wish to communicate with your customers and prospects. Instead, focus on all the free sites, free tools (like Google Analytics, Google Alerts), and make use of any free webinars to educate yourself. Always use the free trial version first, and don't provide a credit card to get access to a free trial. You should launch a website using a service and purchase a website that is not very expensive, unless you have an e-commerce site.

Over time, you may find tools like Hootsuite to be helpful in managing your social media posts.

Also, ask around. Other small businesses will give you advice on what works for them.

Interviewer: What are a few social media do's and don't's?

Meller: A few do's:

• Be active on social media. Pick the networks where your customers can be found, and spend the time there. 
• Find and follow social media leaders. Find people and businesses who are active and seem to "get it" and follow them. Engage with them. Let them inspire you. 
• Focus on continually learning social media. The sites continually evolve and change, and there are always new features to learn. For example, I just read an article about how Facebook is changing its algorithm yet again so company page posts won't show as often as personal posts. 

And a few don't's:

• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Chances are, others have your same concerns. You are not alone. Twitter is a great place to find experts to offer advice. 
• Don't obsess over likes. Instead, focus on engagement. A comment or share can be much more powerful than a like. 
• Don't avoid social media because you are too busy, tech averse, too old to learn, don't have a smart phone, or just not interested. Social media provides you access to a broader potential audience, plus people "opt in" to these social network for news and information. If your audience will be looking for your business on the web, you should supplement your website with social media. Then, use social media to point people back to your web. I heard once you should spend 10 percent of your time on social media creating new content, and 90 percent of your time sharing that content. 

Interviewer: Are there future trends and tools gaining in popularity businesses that should be considered?

Meller: Even though I consider myself really active in social media, there are always new sites popping up. I watch my social media mentors and idols to see what they are doing and where they are spending their time. People like Terry Bean, Paul Chambers, Dave Linabury, Tracy Morgan and Erin Rawlings. Yes, I now have a Snapchat account and I have no idea how to use it. I hear there are a few new video apps gaining traction and I'm still watching to see where they go. It seems like Google+ is on its way out.

Content marketing is still huge. The focus is on educating versus selling. Consider giving potential customers some free advice via content marketing, which may in turn lead to new business.