As a business owner, you’ve probably already considered using social media for promotional purposes.
With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn used by people and businesses alike, there are several ways in which you can promote your business.
There are currently over three billion people actively using social media across the globe. This means a lot of potential customers and clients are already using the sites.
If you’re not already utilising these platforms, now is the time to do it. Social media is an excellent way of connecting with your existing and future customers. It allows you to promote and showcase your work, drive leads and sales, and more.
Increase Brand Awareness
Most importantly, having a social media presence helps improve brand awareness. With social platforms displaying your company logo and name and people sharing your posts and engaging with your content, you’ll reach a wider audience. The more people know about a brand, the more your brand grows.
Humanise Your Brand
Consumers who see a new brand online won’t always immediately trust that it’s legitimate. How does a business remedy this? First, show the human side of their brand: share photos and videos of your product and company life, employees, etc. Engage in conversations online and have a joke with your page followers. Show people there are real people behind the company logo.
Increase Website Traffic
Want more people on your website? Sharing your business’ latest blog post, products or offers on your channels is an effective way of getting people onto your site. Make your social media posts eye-catching and attractive to grab your audiences’ attention. Being active online, participating in chats, communicating with customers, etc., is more likely to drive people to your website than if you remained silent.
Drive Sales and Leads
Naturally, as a business, you will want to succeed and doing so usually involves gaining leads and making sales. By reaching a wider audience of people through social media, you’re introducing your brand to people who are potential customers. Whether through content sharing or engaging with others, you’re increasing the likelihood of achieving leads and sales.
Engage With The Community
Whatever industry your business is in, social media is a great tool to get to know others within the same one. So whether it’s another business, a specialist or just those interested, engage with them. Not only will it act as a form of promotion for your business, but you’ll no doubt learn things you didn’t already know.
Communicate With Customers
Being active on social media and engaging with people inspire potential customers to choose you, but it can also encourage existing customers to come back. Staying in touch with past clients can mean you are the first company they think of when they need a similar service in future.
Keep Up With Industry News
No one wants to be out of the loop. By following companies within the same industry, you’ll be able to keep up with all the latest developments and news that affect your brand and business.
Learn About Your Customers
Using Facebook, Twitter, etc., can be used as a form of market research. As a business, you will discover more about the people using your brand. This could help with the future development of your brand, products and advertising techniques.
Keep An Eye On the Competition
Keeping up to date with the competition means you’ll know what they’re up to when they launch new products or run promotional offers. You’ll also be able to see where they go wrong, which can help you avoid making the same mistakes in future. In addition, following what they’re doing within your niche market can help to inspire and, in turn, grow your business further.
Target Advertisement
With several social media platforms, businesses can specifically target their desired audience. You can choose the specific audience you want to advertise to for a small budget. From their geographic location to hobbies and interests, you can tailor your advertisement to people more likely to engage.
How To Get Started On Social Media
Start by creating a Facebook business page if you’re just dipping your toe into social media. Facebook is the most popular social media platform, with over two billion active users. After that, research and discover which platforms your target audience engages with most often. This will help shape your social media presence, meaning you can invest your time and money more wisely.
Thousands of tradespeople are using social media to help promote their businesses, so we’ve picked out our top ten electricians, gas engineers and plumbers who could help inspire you.
For more information, take a look at our marketing techniques blog post covering digital and traditional forms of marketing.
