The Importance of Social Media For Business Growth
Prompt: You are an online marketer. You mainly rely on email marketing and social media. A new prospect reaches out to hire you for her online consulting business. She uses her name for her branding. However, she is very much concerned about privacy issues in social media. She is overwhelmed with the idea of using her pictures or videos. Write an email to convince her that it is essential to effectively use social media as a marketing channel especially if someone has an online business.
Hi!
Thank you for showing interest in the idea of social media as a marketing channel. Before diving into the possibilities that social media can unlock for your brand, I want you to know that you are not alone. Every day there is a business leader who is skeptical about trusting social media to build their brand. I am here to advocate on behalf of social media to show you the difference it can but also make sure that you have enough knowledge about the tactics and strategies used so that you no longer feel concerned or overwhelmed. Social media can be scary but it can also be a great resource. Let’s explore the benefits of using social media as a marketing channel!
Social Media Advantages
The goal of marketing is to promote and sell your product(s) or service(s), in your case it is your online consulting business. Being an online business, you should be using social media and its tools to your advantage. Social media is all about brand identity, it enables users to show who they are and what makes them special. Using social media as an effective marketing channel will allow you to promote content to your target audience, build and further your relationships with existing and potential clients, and easily measure your results.
When you use traditional marketing channels such as television, billboards, radio ads, or even direct mail flyers you are using a blind marketing approach. This approach is known to be a shot in the dark. The introduction of online marketing has changed the way companies operate and grow their audience and client base. Businesses that use social media as a marketing channel have been able to reach and identify similar audiences based on the one they already have. Platforms such as Instagram, have built-in data reports that allow you to see who is viewing your content and when you are reaching the most people. These data reports will allow you to identify what type of content is getting the attention of these consumers and what is not working. Understanding your target audience is the most important step when developing a social media strategy. The best way to find your target audience is to look at your existing ones and see how you can attract similar people. The attraction of your target audience will allow your website to generate more traffic and promote brand awareness.
Creating content that attracts your target audience will allow you to build a better relationship with your potential and existing clients. Your clients are what makes your business thrive, using social media channels to attract them will show a more authentic approach in addition to your company website. Major networking platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are called community platforms for a reason, they are not just about promotion. As a millennial and an avid consumer of social media, I choose to view a company’s social presence as it shows they are keeping up with the times. Social media will be able to show you valuable insights about your customers such as what they want and how they want it. It is vital if you do proceed with social media as a marketing channel that you are constantly staying in contact with your followers -- your brand depends on it.
A great advantage that social media has to offer is the ease of measuring your results. With sites such as Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Loomly, etc, you can analyze your social media engagement and analytic results at any point in time. Unlike traditional methods of marketing, social media allows you to see how well your post(s) is doing in real-time. Having the opportunity for constant monitoring of your results, you can change your tactics moving forward. For platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, you are even able to edit the content even after it has been posted. You are also able to measure the feelings of your audience when you post on social media.
The biggest advantage of social media as a marketing channel in my eyes is being able to grow your brand awareness. If you are nervous that your brand will get lost in the shuffle of other businesses I am here to tell you that if it is done right, it is avoidable. In a poll distributed by Hootsuite, 60% of Instagram users have found new products and services just from the platform. The fact is, if you want to attract more clients and build a relationship with people in your target market, social media is going to give that to you. Looking at the younger generations, they are digital natives, their whole life is on social media. Social media is rising and is not going anywhere anytime soon. According to a study conducted by Forbes, 78% of salespeople using social media outsell their peers. That number is alarming considering that 50% of small businesses are not using social media to promote their business with an additional 25% not planning to use social media in the future. The best way to grow your brand is to take advantage of all networking platforms and outshine the competition. Your online consulting firm is something to be proud of, take pride in posting all of the great work your company has achieved since starting.
How to Address Privacy Concerns
This is not something to be ashamed of, all users including myself have felt vulnerable and scared about what we put online. The phrase “what you put on the internet is there forever” haunts us and creates this feeling of caution when using the internet. Having a business with your full name and images of yourself on the media can be concerning but I urge you to look at it if it was your personal social account. When you developed your online consulting business you chose your brand name for a reason -- you are the face of the brand. I believe using your name and images allows you to connect with your clients on a more authentic level. The main reason businesses and individual users sometimes neglect the use of social media is because of the invasion of privacy.
To prevent this from happening, don't share private information. Private information can be deemed as anything that you do not want people to know for example your bank account number, your password, your address, etc. As a business, it is essential to list out all of the details needed in your bio. If a client is adamant or has a question about information that is not released encourage them to direct message you as you can determine from that point if it is a good idea to release the information or not. Do not share information that you are not comfortable with. It is typical on social media sites when you sign up to share your full name, birth date, email address, and/or phone number. When you are signing up, it typically informs you that this information entered besides your name will not be shared with anyone. To double-check where your information is stored and how it is used, I recommend reading the platform's privacy policy. Reading a company’s privacy policy is often dismissed as people will just scroll to the bottom and click to agree. Reading it will allow you to understand your rights as a consumer of the platform as well as customizations. Lawyer and Columnist, Nicole Wong, refers to reading a privacy policy as teaching a kid to look both ways before crossing a street, it is a basic safety rule that instills both caution and judgment.
It is understood that social media has become an important aspect in all of our daily lives. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has outlined social media security tips to make sure that all users remain safe on the internet. To view the tips, click here.
Overall, I think creating a social media plan will highly increase the growth and reach of your company. Social media can be overwhelming and scary when you first venture into the platforms, but it doesn’t have to be.
I would be happy to address any other concerns or questions you may have, I look forward to speaking with you.
Best,
Lisa Ferrara