5 Reasons Why Social Media is Important for Your Business

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The Importance of Social Media for Business

Facebook — the social media network that forever changed how individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and even government agencies communicate and relay information — celebrated its 10^th birthday this week.

In the last 10 years, social networking has revolutionized online marketing for businesses, and many businesses are making use of social media. Some have found great success with social media, while others are still floundering in the sea of online marketing, struggling to make sense of it all. And then there are the businesses that are holding out and have yet to take advantage of social media for one reason or another — not enough time, lack of understanding, or disbelief that social media can actually work for a business.

If your businesses is in that last camp (not utilizing social media), or if you’ve set up social media but aren’t convinced it’s truly worth your time, let’s take a look at five reasons social media is important to your business.

5 Reasons Why Social Media is Important for Your Business

1. Low Cost
   

   There is no entry cost to social media marketing. Targeted messages and advertising on Facebook and Twitter do come at a cost, but a small one compared to traditional marketing methods. Any business could conduct baseline social media marketing at virtually no cost, but many business owners simply don’t have the time to invest in managing social media. You’ll get more reach and more “bang for your buck” if you work with an experienced social media marketing agency to manage your online marketing strategy and content.

2. Easily Connect with Existing and Potential Customers
   

   Your existing and potential clients and customers are already on social media, why not meet them where they are? Social media serves as an outlet for you to offer customer service, and engage with your customers, perform market research, and much more. Your industry may determine which social network holds the most potential value for your business (for example, if you are in the home improvement, decorating or food business, Pinterest may be more valuable than other social networks). Simple market research can help you determine which social networks your target audience uses most.

3. Low Barrier to Entry
   

   In addition to social media marketing being far more affordable than traditional marketing, it is also easy to get started. In just a few simple steps, you can easily set up social media profiles for your business on any social networking platform. Again, when it comes to managing your content, it may be better worth your resources to invest in a working relationship with an online marketing agency that is experienced in social media marketing and search engine optimization.

4. Key Factor in Search Engine Ranking
   

   A solid SEO strategy is about producing quality content that generates a lot of inbound links to your website. Social media is a primary form of content consumption and with the click of a button, users can share content across their social media channels, thus increasing the number of inbound links to the content on your website. “Social signals” are becoming more and more key to boosting search engine rakings. (Read more about social signals here.)

5. Social Networks Provide a Unique Platform for E-Commerce

   Interactive videos on YouTube allow your customers to make a purchase decision directly through the video itself. Using Facebook apps, you can even build a sales portal directly into your business’ Facebook page. Alternatively, businesses can use social media to provide links to products and services customers can purchase online. Social media can be as powerful as a word-of-mouth referral, especially on Facebook where users are more likely to have offline, personal relationships with their Facebook friends (as opposed to people they follow on Twitter). If an existing customer has something to say about your products and services, chances are high they will share their opinion with their friends and followers on social media.

Bottom line: Your business can no longer afford not to utilize social media marketing. If you need help taking the leap into social media, contact Frozen Fire, an experienced social media marketing agency.

Frozen Fire is a Dallas internet marketing and video production company that helps companies harness the most powerful aspect of modern marketing—the internet—to engage customers in memorable and meaningful ways. Ways that ignite sales and business growth. Contact us to learn how we can help your business.