10 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Use Social Media Marketing

Can you believe that social media did not even exist about a decade back! The way social media has revolutionized how people connect and communicate has made it more or less a way of life. And business world is no different when it comes to acknowledging the importance and power of social media. Tapping on the benefits of social media marketing, businesses, whether big or small, are leveraging the benefits of enormous consumer base that social media has created.

According to Hubspot, 92% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses, while 80% of marketers indicated that their social media efforts increased traffic.

Social media can help you reach an unlimited number of consumers, from all over the world. “In India, Facebook has 125 million average users (MAU), while the number of mobile MAUs stands at 114 million. On a daily basis, 59 million users in India are accessing Facebook and 53 million are accessing us from their mobile phones,” said Facebook head of Products (Facebook Lite) Vijay Shankar.

And the best part is that you can reach this worldwide pool of consumers at the same cost as reaching your consumers locally! Top social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn and others can be your mediums to reach your potential customers without having to do huge marketing efforts and bear enormous marketing costs.

In beginning times of social media people were doubtful about its success as a marketing tool. But with rapid boom of social media platforms, you will hardly find any marketing expert who does not recommend social media as an essential part of your marketing strategy.

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You may be wondering what does social media really do to benefit small business. Is it worth the effort to develop a social media marketing strategy and put your time in building a social media presence, especially when you are running a small operation rather than a huge company? Well the answer to your questions is, there are numerous advantages of social media marketing for small businesses.

Following are the top benefits of social media marketing for businesses of any size –

1) Builds and increases brand recognition

Social media marketing makes you accessible to new customers while making you more familiar and recognizable for existing customers. For instance, a Facebook user might get to know of your company or product for the first time when he comes across a related post. While a potential customer might become better acquainted with your business after seeing your presence on multiple networking sites.

2) Source for lead generation

Sharing regular posts on social media is an opportunity for lead generation. Social networking gives you access to potential customers, first time buyers, recent customers and old customers, and you are able to interact with all of them.

3) High conversion rates

Social media marketing results in higher conversion rates simply because it has a humane touch to it. Your social media profile and constant interactions make you act like people do rather than a company. And this is significant as people like doing business with other people, not with companies.

4) Enhanced brand loyalty

Social media marketing improves brand loyalty. According to a report published by Texas Tech University, “Companies should take advantage of the tools social media gives them when it comes to connecting with their audience. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing consumers into being brand loyal.”

5) Rise in inbound traffic and improved search engine ranking

The more quality content you share through social media, the more inbound traffic you get. Needless to say, more traffic means more leads and more conversions. Also social media marketing results in better search engine rankings.

6) Reduced marketing costs

Creating profile on social media networking sites is free. Though some sites offer premium memberships but those are not necessary and you can stick with the free membership option. Maintaining and developing does involve cost and time. You will have to pay for it whether you get it done internally or hire a digital marketing agency. The cost that you incur on managing social media marketing campaign will be the only major cost (much less than traditional mediums) because with social media you will not have to pay for the advertising channel itself. Also, your customer care cost will be reduced as you can meet your customer queries and problems through social media platforms.

7) A quick return on investment

Many marketing strategies require big budgets that small businesses simply cannot afford. A mere 10 second ad on national TV can cost nearly 25 lakhs! But social media has an extremely low cost of entry that makes it easy for you to get a quick return on your investment.

However there is lot more to social media marketing than just setting up a profile. You also need someone to manage your social media profiles and interact with potential customers on regular basis, update your business information from time to time, and take maximum advantage of marketing tools. Hiring a digital marketing agency will be a wise decision, especially for small businesses and start-ups.

8) Pro-active sharing of information

Through social media businesses can spread information rapidly with a click of a button. While it may take days to weeks to reach your customers through other mediums, social media makes it possible to share updates pro-actively.

9) Improved audience insights

Social media allows you to interact with your potential and existing customers on regular basis. Thus allowing you to have a better idea of their needs, expectations, buying behavior, likes and dislikes, demographic profile, etc. Knowing one’s customers is the key to business success and social media makes it very easy for you.

10) Associate with other businesses

Social media platforms not only let you connect directly with consumers but also with other business owners and industry experts. From possible strategic business partners to new distributors, social media lets you have direct conversations with people who might otherwise be socially or geographically inaccessible.

As social media platforms evolve, small businesses will have more ways to connect with customers. Social media marketing can help start-ups and SMEs achieve great results, but one needs to know how to use it effectively. That is where social media marketing services or social media marketing companies come in. From maximizing quality to increasing your online entry points, social media marketing companies can help you develop an effective social media marketing strategy and achieve desired results from it. A professional social media marketing company can offer you domain expertise, knowledge of social media tools and in-depth information about consumer behaviors.

When it comes to choosing the best, Nebula Tech is a name trusted by several big and small companies including Raymond, Aditya Birla Group and Future Group. Nebula offers customized services in the field of social media marketing, mobile applications, mobile marketing and web marketing. Their Social Mobile Edge™ platform seamlessly integrates dynamic mobile marketing solutions with social media, thereby creating efficient reach multiplier opportunities for brands.

TIC is another great player in the market. In business since 1999, TIC has hardcore domain expertise and has partnered with several top business houses in India including Essar Group, Tata Group, Gati, Hindalco and Kirloskar. They service clients’ needs in digital space, audio-visual space, IT space, consultancy space and print media.

Cliff Tech, Digital Fives and Optimization Systems are few other well-known social media marketing companies in India that can help you with your social media marketing strategy.

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