Here at #thesavageway, we work with a wide variety of business owners in a range of different industries. A common thread we see between them all is that small businesses rarely have a large marketing budget, let alone a strategic plan behind how they plan to get the word out about their company. When an owner is working to get their doors open, making time for marketing is often their last thought. In fact, an owner is a specialist in their industry, typically not a marketing specialist so thinking about flyers, social media pages, websites, etc is beyond overwhelming. Hesitations to dive into the online world of Social Media are understandable.
Enter #thesavageway. We work with business owners to help make the intimidating social media world make sense. Depending on their specific industry needs, we work one-on-one with owners on either a training program or ongoing consulting services at an extremely cost effective level.
Over the past 4-5 years it has become more and more imperative for businesses to utilize social media in order to get the word out about their company. According to Business Insider , “Social is now the top Internet activity: Americans spend an average of 37 minutes daily on social media, a higher time-spend than any other major Internet activity, including email.”
With all of those active, potential consumers online waiting to engage with your company, how is your brand being perceived? The thought with owners has always been, “If I build it, they will come,” well that is no longer the case. Consumers want to know more than just your hours of operation, they want to know your story. Social media is the perfect portal to show life and engage with your consumers. So are you still asking why do I need social media?
Social media is the modern day branding tool that small businesses should capitalize on and embrace. There are a plethora of reasons but here are our Top 5 Reasons to Use Social Media:
- Create a Brand Presence Online: In today’s technology-driven, immediate satisfaction world, consumers are more likely to look a company up on Facebook or Yelp before going to their website. It is important to brand your social pages so that your message is consistently received no matter what portal your customer prefers to use.
- Engage With Customers: Scott Cook, the Founder of Intuit said, “A brand is no longer what we tell the customer it is – it is what customers tell each other it is.” Social Media allows a business to set the tone for their image. Encouraging engagement with consumers (asking questions, complimenting, talking back) will prompt them to return the favor – in turn growing your brand awareness. As a small business you need the platform to be able to proactively respond to both the positive and negative feedback. Customers are talking about you regardless – might as well join in the conversation!
- Tell Your Story: Let customers in on your daily life. Social media allows an opportunity like never before to show your company culture and put out there what you want the world to see. Before a customer ever steps foot inside your door, you are able to create an experience and give them an idea what they will expect from your brand. You can show them that you support local or carry boutique brands. Show consumers what makes your business tick – show them why they want to be a part of what you are doing!
- Drive Website Traffic: Creative and strategic posts will lead your customers back to your website – where they will hopefully be a step closer to making a purchase of your product or further trust your brand. Overall, social media is gaining more and more importance for SEO rankings – especially Google+. Google is weighing every time you are talked about online – being a content creator on social media helps your brand be more authoritative.
- Listen to Customer Insight – Your loyal followers watch what you are doing in the brick-and-mortar part of your business as well as online. Listen to what they say – they are telling you what they are looking for from your brand. Your next big campaign could be an idea from a Twitter follower.
As you can see, social media is a tool for business, just like that Point Of Sale system or employee manual. It is important to learn it inside and out enough to make the best of each portal. Look what your industry leaders are using and focus your efforts there.
Twitter and Instagram may be intimidating and the last item on that to-do list but as a small business, it is imperative to understand that online communication and non-traditional mediums are only going to grow. Embrace it now and take your business to the next level. And if you are struggling to master your social media, you can always take #thesavageway.
