Social media is a powerful marketing platform for businesses, and those businesses who fail to recognize that fact …FAIL!

Social media has become the backbone of a strong SEO campaign. Business owners who use social media are far more successful than those who do not. As social media continues to dominate the Internet, those businesses not willing to jump on board are going to be lost at sea.

So, What Is It That Makes Using Social Media So Important To a Business? 

There are some amazing benefits to using social media, and below is just a summary of those benefits and how they can impact your business.

Watch Competitors

Ok, so you do not want to be looked at as a nosey neighbor, but you also do not want to be left in the dark. Social media platforms make it easy to check up on competitors, and you don’t even have to wear dark sunglasses and a wig while snooping.

Knowing what your competitors are doing can help you with your marketing efforts. If they are launching a new product, advertising some amazing deals, or just posting content that seems to be getting a ton of attention, it can help you understand what you need to be doing. 

Interact with Customers

You know how important customer interaction is right? Why do you think businesses spend millions of dollars on training their employees to properly greet and interact with customers…because it means more profits!

Customers who interact with businesses tend to spend more and come back more frequently than those who do not. So, if you think about it, social media is similar to having a greeter at your business door and a customer service representative on standby for each and every person that peeks in your door.

The social media platform allows you to talk to your customers, find out what they are thinking, what they want, and most importantly, how you can give it to them!

Generate More Customers

With every new follower, you gain access to thousands of other potential followers. Followers can quickly become customers, so the more you have, the better your profits. Keep in mind that when you are gathering followers or fans on your social media platforms that they should be organic and not purchased.  It does you no good to have 10,000 followers that have no interest in your product or service…you are better off with 10 that do.

Brand Recognition

One of the largest hurdles for small businesses is brand recognition. Consumers are more often drawn towards a familiar product than they are a new one. Even if the packaging is eye-catching, the price right, and the ingredients the same, most consumers will buy the tried and true brand they are used to already.

So, if consumers are so “stuck” in their ways with purchasing decisions, how do you break-thru as a small business?

Breaking into an industry, no matter the size is tough for any business, but social media has made it much easier. Having your brand out there, in everyone’s faces, on their profile pages is the first rung of the brand recognition ladder. The more people become familiar with you, your product, and your brand, the more likely they are to purchase from your business and not the other guy.

Affordable Online Marketing

Online marketing is essential for good business, even for offline businesses. A social media page allows you to advertise, market, research, and even generate customers for minimal to no cost. This is a HUGE benefit for small businesses that have small marketing budgets.

Connect With Other Local Businesses

Not all businesses are your competition; some can actually work to help promote your products or services. You can use social media pages to connect with like-minded or local businesses for cross-promotions.

If you sell organic dog food, why not connect with a local pooper scooper business? There is no limit to the amount of cross-promotion you can obtain from other businesses, and it can all be done right from your social media page.

What is the Best Way to Use Social Media?


How to properly use social media to improve business is a common question, especially for business owners new to the online marketing world. The good news is, there are very few bad ways to use it, but there are some ways that are better than others.

Stay Updated

When you are posting, stay current. No one is going to take you seriously if you constantly repost outdated content on your site. If there is something new happening that relates to your industry, try to be the first one to post on it, most likely you will NEVER be the first to post a major event in your industry, but TRY anyway!

If you have sales, promotions, or any marketing campaigns that are current, post them and keep your devoted fans and followers in the loop.

Keep it Interesting

Ok, this can be tricky, especially if you are a business that offers wool socks…I mean, there are only so many ways you can tell people about the exciting world of socks. So, here is what you do…find something interesting that closely relates to your topic and write up something about that.

Humor is a great way to get people talking, so if you can add some humorous pictures, videos, or content to your site you are sure to get some attention. Remember to keep things professional though, after all, you are a place of business.

Luckily for you, the followers and fans on your page obviously find your topic interesting or they would not be there in the first place.

Get Involved

Many business owners fail to interact with their fans and followers, and this is a HUGE mistake. Do not post something and then ignore the attention it receives, get involved. Respond to comments, acknowledge favorites and pay attention to who is sharing your content so you can thank them and possibly share something of theirs to your page.

Send Shout Outs That Everyone Can See on Twitter

Ok, so you know about shout outs right? You know, where you mention someone in a tweet, like @seositecheckup? Well, here is the thing, the only one that can see that is the person mentioned and their followers. You can expand that viewing by entering a period at the beginning of the tweet. That simple dot opens up the tweet to everyone, so do not forget it on your next tweet!

Do Not Post On the Hour

Most business meetings and functions occur on the hour, so avoid posting your tweets and updates at these times. Post just before or just after the hour for the best results. Most people check their social media pages right before a meeting starts or just as one is wrapping up, so this is the best time to post your content.

Make Sure You Are Following Those Who Re-Tweet Your Stuff

Pay attention to the people who are clicking favorite, like, retweeting, or sharing your content. Make sure you are following those people, after all, they are your biggest supporters.

Get Automated

Automated programs like Hootsuite make it easy to schedule posts. It is unreasonable to think that every business owner has the time to devote to social media each day, and even more unreasonable to believe they have the means to hire a social media manager, especially in the beginning. The automated programs allow you to create posts for various social media platforms and then schedule them to post at the most opportune times.

Enter Your Business Address in Facebook Page Settings

Under “Page Settings” in Facebook, there is a spot for your address, use it! Include your business address in the box to be included in local searches. Make sure your business is registered as a local business in the business type section.

Add a “Subscribe” Link on Your YouTube Channel

If you have a YouTube channel, add a link to subscribe for visitors. Simply add this text to the end of your YouTube URL whenever you want to share it:

http://www.youtube.com/user/S2Games?sub_confirmation=1

This offers visitors the opportunity to subscribe to your channel so they can easily come back and find your videos anytime they want, and they will also be notified when you add anything new.