Overwhelmed, frustrated, annoyed…when it comes to social media and running a business you’re not alone if you feel this way.

Today, more than ever before, social media and business growth (or decline) go hand-in-hand. So much so that if your business isn’t on social media, it won’t be in business for long.

Having difficulty getting in front of an audience? Get your brand on social media right now.

Unsure if your traditional marketing tactics are working? Get your brand on social media right now.

Struggling with positioning your brand effectively? Get your brand on social media right now.

Twenty years ago no one in their right mind would have thought we’d be ordering our food on Facebook, shopping for shoes on Instagram, or learning how to cook pasta on YouTube.

Somehow, though, social media has become the answer to all our problems and by default, the reason why, when done correctly, it can help your business grow.

6 ways social media can positively impact your business success

Here are 6 of the most important reasons why you should be showing up on social media if you’re planning to grow your business:

Expanded audience

We’re going to let the numbers do the talking here.

In 2020 alone, there were over 3.6 billion active social media users worldwide. That’s 50 percent of the world.
This number is projected to increase to 4.41 billion users by 2025. That’s nearly a 25 percent increase over 5 years.
57 percent of the consumers on social media will follow a brand to learn more about them.

Nearly all major social media platforms are free to join. This means you don’t pay a dime to have access to billions of potential buyers.

Social media’s jaw-dropping adoption rate solves one of the most fundamental problems in business: growing an audience.

Targeted marketing

Before social media became a thing, businesses spent countless dollars and invested significant time on identifying and executing marketing tactics.

From TV ads to flyers, roadside billboards to black and white newspapers, advertisers were thriving – but were the businesses?

For a business to succeed it needs to solve a problem that exists and ensure the solution is seen by customers willing to pay for it.

Renting a massive sign in the sky might sound like a great tactic, but who is to say that billboard will be seen by even one customer willing to purchase what it’s advertising?

Enter social media. A billboard in your consumer’s pocket.

We don’t plan on getting into the privacy debate, but with all the data we as individuals have shared over the years (knowingly or unknowingly), social media platforms have found a truly genius way of redefining marketing efforts.

Here is where targeted marketing comes in. Targeted marketing is a process by which you promote products and services to an audience likely to buy those products or services.

Utilizing the data we’ve shared, the social media platforms have created algorithms that allow businesses to create targeted campaigns based on location, demographics, interests, behaviors, connections, and more.

As long as you understand your target audience, you can rest assured your message will be viewed by your ideal customer.

After all, you’re the one deciding exactly who sees it.

Actionable insights

When you run a targeted campaign on a social media platform, you are not going to receive confirmation from Mark Zuckerberg that he will personally get your campaign in front of the right eyes.

You’ll have a dashboard that does that instead.

From reach to impressions to details on your audience and everything in between, when you run a campaign on a social media platform, you are presented with data that can help you make better business building decisions.

Overwhelming? At first, sure, but trust us when we say this is a good thing.

Gone are the days of hoping your campaign is going to be effective.

Consider starting simple by familiarizing yourself with the dashboards at a high level and incorporating a few basic yet critical metrics such as ROAS (return on advertisement spends) into your campaign reviews.

Remember, data is the gift of growth when used correctly.

Zero-cost storefront

It costs you $0.00 to set up your shop on Facebook and Instagram even if you don’t have an online store or website.

What’s more, you don’t have electric bills, insurance costs, or require employees in snazzy suits to man your shop (maybe one social media manager in their PJs).

Oh yeah, it’s also open 24/7.

Here’s a quick look at Instagram’s shopping platform in case you had doubts on the free opportunity at hand:

It launched mid-way through 2020
130 million Instagram accounts tap on a shopping page almost every month.

Goal for today: Set up your Instagram shop.

Free customer service platform

Good customer service equals happy customers.

Happy customers equal returning customers.

We’ve already learned that half of the world uses social media so what better way to enhance your customer experience than by helping to address their needs right where they live – on the platform itself.

No more awkward phone calls, queues when trying to connect to a customer service representative, or need to invest in a customer service center at all. Social media messaging is your free customer service platform that not only addresses customer needs, but also enhances your customer experience.

Take these survey results from a Facebook study on Messaging;

How people surveyed say messaging a business makes them feel:

Over 66 percent feel more confident about the brand
Over 55 percent feel more personally connected to the brand

Of those surveyed who message businesses:

Over 70 percent expect to message with more customer service questions
Over 59 percent will use messaging more frequently to make purchases
Over 68 percent believe messaging with create better customer experiences

Meet your customer where they are and for free.

Storytelling

Good businesses become great when they begin to win over the hearts and minds of their customers. We call this branding and yes, it matters.

It’s important to note that while the process of creating a brand begins with a tremendous amount of up-front work and execution, it does not stop there. To build your brand you must tell its story every day.

Social media platforms offer a tremendous opportunity to do this.

From posts, to reels, to live streams and more, storytelling has never been so accessible.

Take for example Everlane, the clothing company that exploded onto the screen in recent years. With a focus on transparency and doing good, Everlane utilized social media to tell its story.

From “Transparency Tuesdays,” where they would answer any questions from their followers to their random acts of kindness campaign, Everlane told their brand’s story so well it helped them grow from $0 to $100M+ in just six years.

How’s that for a good story?

Get your conversation going

Social media can be overwhelming but it can also be a tremendous tool. From targeted marketing to analytics to free platforms that enhance your customers’ experience, when used the right way social can change the trajectory of your business.

Need help growing your business on social media? Drop us a note and we’ll help you get your conversation going today.

Social Media Marketing: 6 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Business Grow