How many times a day have you heard someone ask, “Did you see that on Facebook?” Hearing such comments about Facebook and other forms of what is called social media is not surprising since 72% of Americans are using social media to connect to friends, family, colleagues and businesses. This is why your brand needs to take advantage of this creative pipeline. In fact, now-a-days, more people are following brands than are following celebrities.

With the number of responsibilities you, the business owner,
have every workday—especially considering the constraints of time and manpower—you
may be wondering, “Does social media make sense for my business?”. In today’s
multi-screen world, if you’re not taking advantage of social media marketing
for your business, you are missing out.

Let’s look at the top reasons why your business should be
using social media marketing to keep your business relevant online and with
customers. If you don’t have time to read further, just remember these 5
reasons:

1. Social Media Is Free to Use
2. It Humanizes Your Brand
3. You Get Insight into Your Competition
4. Social Media Helps Build Brand Credibility
5. It Can Boosts SEO

Now for the details…

Social media is free to use

In most cases, starting a business
page is FREE. How can you beat that? Free is as cheap as it gets. And any paid
promotions you may want to invest in will cost less than most marketing
tactics. So why wouldn’t you try taking advantage of this opportunity? The
catch is that with all the “noise” that’s associated with social media, it could
be a time-consuming task for a business owner or an employee to develop a social
media marketing strategy. A strong strategy should include images, videos, and
content relevant to your audience, all delivered when your customers are the
most engaged.

If you decide to “boost” or do some paid ads on social media, it makes sense to reach out to professionals who can get the job done for you. You can do this in increments: you can start with a small budget and refine as you go until you reach the desired results.

Social media humanizes your brand

It’s important to show the human
side of your brand when communicating with your customers and followers. Social
media presents your brand with an opportunity to create its own personality
online. Decide what content, images, and messaging would resonate most with
your customers. Then stick to it!

You know already the importance of honesty and truthfulness when you speak to friends. This approach is exactly how you would approach your customers. Be honest and truthful. Speak as a friend. Answer promptly and sincerely. Also, don’t forget friends and family play a major role in purchasing decisions. In fact, 60% of consumers say content from friends and family is what influences their purchase decisions. By regularly interacting with customers you will be able to have more satisfied customers who will spread the word about your great products and services on social media. This approach shows that you care about customer satisfaction and that you are a credible business. After all, don’t you agree that most adults do not trust a brand until they see real proof that a brand is authentic and keeping its promises?

Social media gives you insight into your competition

What a great opportunity it is to see
what your competition is doing! Social media acts as a storefront, not just for
you but for your competition. This gives you an advantage that you may not have
considered. On social media everyone is open for business, and that includes
your competition. You are able to “visit” their locations (all from the
convenience of your office) to see what promotions they are running and what strategies
they have in place. By conducting your research, you can uncover ways to
enhance your own content, and most important, uncover ways to stand out.

For example, let’s say you offer
services to other businesses (B2B) and notice that one of your competitors is
heavily utilizing Facebook, but is falling short on their content on Linkedin. Since
Linkedin is a professional network that allows you to speak to other business
owners looking for your service, this new knowledge presents you with a great
opportunity to build a content strategy to own this space.

To help you out, here’s a list
of the top social networks, ranked by % of U.S. adults who use social media
sites online or on their phone.

YouTube – 73%
Facebook – 68%
Instagram – 35%
Pinterest – 29%
Snapchat – 27%
LinkedIn – 25%
Twitter – 24%

Each platform has its own advantages and choosing the right one might seem difficult, but BlueLight Marketing & Advertising can show you how to navigate these platforms and can determine the best social media marketing strategies for your business, no matter who your customers are.

Social media builds brand credibility

Simply put, by sharing relevant
content and providing feedback on social media and throughout the Internet, your
brand becomes more credible. People buy from people they trust, so it’s
important to make sure your business is legit and reputable. In a recent Edelman’s
report, 81% of the people surveyed said that a lack of brand trust is a
deal breaker when it comes to considering who to purchase from. Richard
Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, had this to say:

“Trust has always played an important role in
brand purchase. But consumers now have much larger expectations of brands, and
their trust is predicated on how well a brand can pass through the three gates
of trust—product, customer experience and impact on society.”

In other words, build a brand that convinces your customers and prospects that you are an honest and dependable business. Use your “voice” on social media platforms, a voice that sets you apart from the competition so that you become a trusted and credible leader. Bluelight Marketing & Advertising knows how to speak with your unique voice.

Social media boosts SEO

Finally, the best reason to utilize social media marketing is an approach called “search engine optimization,” or SEO for short. While posting on social media alone may not move the needle, posting accompanied with a consistent message across the Internet can help your business achieve higher page rankings and obtain more traffic to your website. To give your business the best opportunity to rank higher, businesses need to develop a strong SEO strategy that includes high-quality content (blogs, reviews, employee updates, and so forth) and targeted keywords. In other words, shares and click-throughs to your business website by way of your social media platforms represents positive and real-time signals for our friends at Google. The more you share and care, the better chance you have of showing up on the first page of results for your industry each time potential customers do a Google search.

The bottom line: Social media
certainly has huge advantages for your business. Social media marketing has
evolved into an expectation, not a possibility, for brands hoping to excel.
Businesses must create an online strategy that builds a consistent brand
message. Start by using industry keywords, by producing content that will
engage, and by asking people to “share”. Such a path leads to the truth and
honesty people are searching for.

Where does all of this lead? More website traffic, and higher page rankings. We at BlueLight can develop a cost-effective platform for you, and there’s virtually no reason not to partner with us because your competitors are probably already investing in social media marketing. BlueLight Marketing & Advertising is here for you and with you. Together, we can navigate the social media and online landscape.