How Social Media Can Help Your Business - By: Tiffany Feat

Many business owners wonder if they need social media. They don't know what they're missing. Social media opens up a world of possibilities for leads, networking, connections, insights about customers, and increased brand loyalty. The following are several reasons to have a good strategy in place for any business.

Social media is less about bringing traffic and more about building brand loyalty. It may bring little traffic in terms of numbers, but the traffic it does bring will be high quality. When done right, is a way to get customers to associate your brand with friendliness and positive feeling. Personal touch endears people to the brand. The worst way to use social media is to present as a faceless brand entity offering only automatically scheduled discounts and sales pitches. The best way is to think of it as a party. The same wisdom that applies to any social situation also works with social media: Just be yourself and talk to people. Anyone following your brand is also following his or her family members, friends and colleagues. If your brand fits in with a customer's personal social network, there is great potential for that person to build an emotional attachment and loyalty for your brand the same way they would for a friend. And when a customer thinks of you as a friend, you have a loyal customer.

While social media is not the best place for sales pitches, it can be used to raise brand awareness and advertise your company among your target demographic. There are ways to search keywords and interests to find users who are talking about something relevant to your product or service. It's always a good idea to connect with these individuals on a friendly level. They will check out your profile and will probably also check out your site, especially considering it's something they've already expressed interest in. Even if they don't follow you or buy right away, they'll be aware of your brand and will remember you, especially if you make a personal connection.

Social media is a quick and effective outlet for customer service, allowing you to monitor and respond to conversations and problems about your brand. More often than not, people are much more likely to vent and complain about an issue publicly on Twitter rather than take the time to write an email, and they're going to vent whether you're paying attention or not. If you are paying attention, you can resolve the matter quickly with a helpful reply. If you don't use social media, then there's no telling what your customers are saying about your brand. Getting involved gives you a chance to monitor and engage in the conversations. When you use social media you have a chance to see what your demographic is talking about and gain insights into their interests and needs. It's important to understand your customer, and this is one way to do it. You can also interact with your base by asking them directly for their opinions. If you include your followers on some of your decisions by surveying them or asking questions, they'll feel more invested in your company and more like a part of the team. You'll gain loyalty along with insight. You won't only be interacting with customers on social media, you'll also discover and network with like-minded individuals, entrepreneurs, possible allies, and even competitors (Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer...). As you make business connections, social media-once again-opens up new doors and possibilities that would not otherwise happen.

Are your competitors using social media? If they are, why aren't you? If they're not, this is an opportunity for you to have an advantage over them. Social Media is the future and the now. Participating shows that your brand is current with the times, approachable, and accountable. Believe it or not, there are potential customers out there who will choose a competitor over you simply because you do not have a social media presence.

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About the Author

Tiffany feat writes for Ten Fast Feet, an interactive marketing agency.

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