These days, you can probably count the people you know with no social media presence on one hand. Almost everyone has multiple social media accounts.
In fact, around 2.45 billion people are active on various social media platforms today with Facebook far ahead of other platforms at nearly 2 billion active users. There are plenty of other platforms with millions of active users, which also can’t be ignored.
Brands that are not active on social media platforms are missing opportunities. And those companies that are already active are reaping a lot of benefits from their social media engagement.
But still, some businesses remain hesitant. If you (or your superiors) need a little convincing, this post is here to do just that.
Top 5 reasons why businesses must be active on social media platforms
There are plenty of reasons for businesses to engage on social media platforms. We don’t need to list out every little one. Instead, we’re only going to look at the top 5.
1. Referral traffic
Social media active users follow their favorite celebrities, brands, and experts on social media platforms. That’s why influencer marketing is so popular today – anyone with good content has an opportunity to build a fan base on their social media accounts.
And brands that come up with a good social media marketing strategy have an opportunity to reach and retain loyal followers. If their fan base is satisfied with their products and services, they’re likely to share the page with their friends and loved ones.
In fact, studies show that around 71% of the customers who have had a pleasant experience with a brand on social media platforms recommend that brand to others. So the more you encourage social media engagement, the more your fans will spread your brand name far and wide.
Having others market your brand for you not only saves you time and effort, but their word is always going to be more persuasive than your own.
2. Enhance customer relationships
So much depends on customer relationships in today’s world of intense competition. The big companies are not only focusing on reaching out to new customers by doing Facebook marketing, Twitter advertising, and so on, but they are also doing their best to retain their existing customer base.
Thanks to social media, companies can provide a top notch service to customers and provide instant answers to their queries. This has come to be the norm for modern businesses, and customers now expect these quick reactions.
Having a strong relationship with existing customers will not only help in retaining your existing customers, but it will also increase your brand reputation, as they are likely to talk about you to others.
3. Crisis management
There’s no guarantee that your business will always have a smooth run in this world full of uncertainty and surprises. There are plenty of cases where bad news has quickly ruined a company’s reputation.
But being active on social media platforms can help you mitigate a crisis. First, if people are able to contact you directly, they’re less likely to vent their feelings on social media for the world to see. This way, you get direct feedback and can fix issues before they get out of hand.
You’ll also be able to see right away if bad news starts to spread about your brand. While it’s never easy responding to a crisis, at least you’ll be able to respond to a crisis effectively and immediately.
You may not be able to reverse all the damage done, but you can certainly minimize it by responding to negative comments on social media platforms.
4. Lead generation
Social media platforms help reach out to potential clients and bring them to your site. And the simplest way to achieve this is with social advertising.
Sites like Facebook help businesses reach whomever they want to with their ads. It lets you target people based on age, job, interests, and plenty of other demographics.
The ability to reach the perfect audience is incredibly powerful. Unlike more traditional forms of advertising where you simply hope that the right people are watching (or reading), social networks all but guarantee that you hit your target with ads.
If you promote the right content on social media platforms, people will visit your website. Then all you need is the right landing page to ensure conversions.
5. Content analysis
Not all content is a great content. Even if we feel that every piece of content we generate is awesome, it’s usually not the case. Luckily, social media lets you test the quality of your content.
Analytics tools offered by social media platforms let the publisher see the engagement for a post. And usually those posts with the highest rates of engagement (likes, shares, and comments) will be your “best” work.
See how your audience responds to a blog post or video on social, and use this to guide your next piece of content.
Conclusion
Social media engagement is not for gaining competitive advantage anymore, because so many brands are already very active on social media. In fact, over 85% of American companies with more than 100 employees are active on Twitter.
For this reason, it’s no longer optional to be active on social. Your business needs to be easy to find and responsive, or you risk being left behind.
If your business is not yet active on social media platforms, the time is now to get started.
