Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn…do all of these names ring a bell? If so, you are familiar with the world of Social Media. In our generation today, these instantly recognizable companies are taking the reigns in the world of marketing and advertising. Facebook, for example, has become the key powerhouse in Social Media and is now an important tool that small businesses can really take advantage of.
What is the importance of social media for small business?
The age of the Internet has given all of the world’s citizens the ability to connect over great distances in a vastly short period of time. Internet has given us the ability to share great amounts of information with the whole world. Throughout the years of developing the Internet into what it is today, the age of social media has now become front and center. Sites such as Facebook allow us to connect directly with people, anywhere and anytime!
Traditional marketing and advertising has turned its attention towards social media and the real power that it has. Traditional marketing for a long time has relied on the ability of practical advertising materials (billboards, banners, printed advertisements) to reach it’s audience. There is no way to monitor who has seen it or even the amount of people that it reached.
Thankfully, with such advancements within Social Media, we can do that now!
Small businesses can utilize social media for a number of reasons:
1. REACH A GREATER NUMBER OF POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS BEYOND LOCAL MARKET. With traditional advertising, it can be difficult…and costly…to promote your brand outside of your local area! Banners and billboards can be hard to come by and can only reach a certain number of people! The benefit in using social media to advertise is the ability to expand your reach! You are not limited to just a few miles of where your business is located!
2. SEE IMMEDIATE RESULTS. As stated before, you cannot gauge your audience reaction to a certain printed advertisement. There is simply no way of telling. However, Facebook has implemented tools that show the posters how many followers have seen your advertisement online! There is a great feeling when one posts an advertisement on their Facebook page and shows the results that it was seen by more than 75% of followers!
3. CONNECT DIRECTLY TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. Facebook and Twitter are the powerful tools that connect people with people. When businesses started utilizing Facebook and Twitter as a tool, the game was changed. Social Media advertising has grown allow businesses to include such phrases as “LIKE US on FACEBOOK” or “FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM”. Such phrases were not even possible merely 10 years ago. Facebook business pages give owners the ability to see who has LIKED their page and the ability to contact customers directly! You can be guaranteed that posting on your Facebook page will be seen by only those who are following your business, customers who KNOW who you are and who WANT your business.
4. BE APART OF THE FASTEST GROWING INTERNET PHENOMENON. Social Media has been the primary form of Internet usage for many years now and there is no question that businesses have utilized this idea. It is important for businesses to grow. It is vital that businesses keep up with today’s technology! While bigger corporations may have the financial means to allow for television, radio, and print advertising, small business owners can take hold of social media and use it to reach a greater number of customers than they had initially realized!
Social media is a powerful tool for and now you probably recognize the importance of social media for small business. It is important that you understand all that it can do for your business, so if your business has not been involved with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, feel free to contact any one of our TLG Marketing staff members and discuss Social Media marketing and advertising!
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