Business executives often ask why they should use social media as a tool for their business.
Traditional marketing efforts with the us of television, radio, and newspaper ads are giving ever smaller returns on the investment.
It's time for a new strategy and a new way of thinking.
Here are four reasons why you should consider implementing a social media strategy for your business.
Establish Your Brand Let's say your company has an event coming up.
Historically you place a few ads and hope for the best at that event.
Some people will show up, yet it may not be what you had hoped.
With the use of social media, you post that same event to the social media sites that you have established.
Your followers then spread the word to their friends, and so on and so on.
What you have in return is a greater showing for your event.
It is also easier to create and talk about your brand.
Social media creates a conversation, between you and your potential customers.
Doing that establishes your brand in your industry and allows people to get to know you before you expect them to show up for an event.
Customer Service and Interaction Your customers are already online.
There's a good chance they are even talking about you online, and without your presence in the social media sphere, you won't know it.
On the other hand, your presence allows you to respond faster when the customer speaks.
Your presence in that space also shows that you are interested and willing to show up to discuss things or to resolve problems.
The online presence also allows for much faster interaction with your customer base.
Let's face it, being in business is about relationships.
Knowing that's the case, it's the relationship building we should focus on.
Lead Generation Having a strong online presence allows you to create better lead generation.
Through your conversations online, you can reach a bigger audience.
For example, maybe you have a short contest on Facebook.
The people entering that contest are additions to your lead base.
Some companies that I follow have weekly contests.
While the "prize" is usually something small, it creates dialogue and that dialogue gets shared with others.
Let's see how that might look.
Suppose you create a contest for your business.
If, for example, you have a pet grooming salon, you might create a contest where people can talk about the worst haircut their dog ever received.
People love to talk about their animals.
Let them post pictures showing how their dog looked when it came home from the salon.
Here's an opportunity for you.
Perhaps you offer each person who entered the discussion a $10 off coupon for any services totaling $50 or more.
Maybe that contest alone brings you ten new customers who would have their pet groomed once a month.
You've just increased your leads as well as revenue to your business.
Goodwill If your customers are engaged with you, they are emotionally attached to you and your business.
Everyone knows of a time when they have had an awesome customer experience.
When that happens to you, you tend to tell all of your friends.
Engaged customers spread the word about your business because they believe in you and what you are doing.
It's About Relationships Business is really about building relationships.
In most cases, people don't buy from someone without first knowing them and having that relationship.
The use of social media tools to build your business allows for your current and potential customers to engage with you and create that relationship.
What are you waiting for?