The importance of business social media is no longer a matter of debate. It is one of the most important ways to make your customers feel more in contact with you and give them accurate knowledge about how far they have made their journey. Social media is critical if you want your customers and help get information that would benefit them, such as the growth needed for branding. Suppose you are skipping this powerful communication tool, so the chances of an unbelievable opportunity to rapprochement with an audience would be smoothly gone.
People find, know about, follow, and make purchases from brands through social media, so if you are nowhere online in places such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, then whoops, it’s subsisting at the peril conclusion. Additionally, great marketing on social media can deliver unprecedented success to your business by generating loyal advocates for the brand and even converting them into leads or sales.
What is Social Media for Business?
By ‘Social media for business,’ we mean the standard social networks where companies market their products or services to consumers. Big or small businesses can use social media to promote brand awareness, nurture content, engage with consumers through discussion threads and related events, and generate leads from potential clients, among other social media purposes. It’s a lot of bang for the buck when you consider social media platforms free to join.
Social media marketing for small businesses requires an evolving strategy with measurable goals and includes:
- Maintaining and optimizing your profiles.
- Posting pictures, videos, stories, and live videos that represent your brand and attract a relevant audience.
- Responding to comments, shares, and likes and monitoring your reputation.
- Following and engaging with followers, customers, and influencers to build a community around your brand.
Social media marketing also includes paid social media advertising, where you can pay to have your business appear in front of large volumes of highly targeted users.
Social media platforms are used by millions of people worldwide for personal reasons. However, brands can also have social media accounts and use them in branding, promotional activities, and communication.
Social media platforms popular for business include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. The platform choice varies according to the audience, business industry, and kind of content that a company wants to unveil. Effective social media management involves planning, consistency, and adapting strategies based on analytics and feedback.
Why Use Social Media for Business?
You’re a business person, so we will assume that you love numbers. So here’s a figure: more than 4.74 billion people worldwide use social media. That’s 93% of internet users and 76% of all North Americans.
If your business has a social network, you are taking advantage of the chance to reach these potential customers. Here are some more stats about the power of social media that will knock your business socks off:
1. Instagram Insights
- 90% of Instagram users follow a business
- 3% use the platform for brand and product research
2. Engagement with Instagram Ads
- 70% of users are open to ads while watching videos on Instagram
- A specific number of posts can reach over 544 million users worldwide
3. YouTube's Massive Reach
- YouTube ads have the potential to reach 2.51 billion users
- 68% of users watch YouTube to aid in purchase decisions
4. Video Usage for Brand Research
- 8% of internet users aged 16-64 use videos for brand research
5. Pinterest as a Brand Discovery Platform
- Almost 10.4% of Internet users between 16-64 use online pinboards for brand research.
- 80% of weekly Pinterest users discover new brands or products.
6. Snapchat's Advertising Potential
- Snapchat’s total potential ad audience worldwide is over 575 million.
- Snapchatters collectively hold 4.4 trillion in spending power.
7. Facebook's Local Business Impact
- 66% of Facebook users visit a local business page at least once a week.
- 69% of Meta platform users who shop online weekly make purchases after seeing personalized content on Facebook or Instagram.
Implement These 10 Social Media Tips and Strategies for Your Business Success
Well, you might be wondering how to grow on social media? There’s no shortage of social media tips to help you fine-tune your strategy.
Some best practices related to social media for business are relative. Below are ten universal tips that are fair game for companies of all shapes and sizes.
1. Establish an Authentic and People-Centric Social Media Presence
This might seem like a no-brainer.
That said, busy businesses tend to get stuck in a “copy-and-paste” approach to social. Comments and social captions should feel like they were written by a natural person, not a robot.
Injecting personality into your posts is a low-hanging way to relate to your audience. Beyond that, personalizing your replies to people shows that you’re there to help them. This is an example of using social media presence for business to build connections.
2. View Your Social Presence as a Valuable Resource Beyond Just a Promotional Channel
Don’t make the mistake of treating your social presence as a dumping ground for offers. Building an audience means being genuinely helpful, not sales.
Many of the best practices across social media presence treat their accounts as resources. That means:
- Creating actionable, educational content (think: how-tos, tutorial videos).
- Answering questions and sharing advice with your audience.
- Share company updates and keep customers in the loop.
Imagine that your social accounts are your first touchpoint with a potential customer. Sharing resources makes a better first impression than screaming, “BUY NOW!”
3. Maintain a Regular and Reliable Presence
This applies to both publishing content and engaging with customers.
Conventional wisdom says that social media algorithms reward consistency. Sprout’s research on the best times to post on social media confirms this. Letting your social feeds gather cobwebs isn’t a good look, if nothing else.
Neither is leaving your followers hanging. Making a conscious effort to reply to questions and comments is crucial. This is why you need to keep a close eye on your @tags and social notifications.
4. Be Ready to Explore Varied Content Types through Experimentation
Brands are spoiled for choice regarding the types of content they can post.
Below are two examples of brands with diverse social feeds regarding content.
That said, don’t make assumptions about what performs best.
Just because a competitor posts many memes doesn’t mean you should follow suit. Let your analytics and engagement guide your content strategy.
5. Integrate Your Social Presence, Avoid Treating It as an Isolated Entity
Social media shouldn’t be a siloed channel separate from the rest of your marketing efforts.
Social media can be in the middle of it all, from announcements to offers and company initiatives. For example, a feature rollout isn’t something a SaaS brand should restrict to its email list. These sorts of updates should be front and center on social, too.
A more holistic approach to social media marketing for business is ideal. In turn, you maximize your marketing assets elsewhere and see a more significant ROI for your efforts.
6. Keep Getting Better at Social Media
Understand that social media is constantly changing. Look at how well your plans work, check the numbers, and be ready to improve things. Stay informed about what’s new on social media.
Keep trying to improve so your social media efforts stay good and match people’s likes. Being able to change is very important for your business’s long-term success on social media.
7. Share Visual Content
We love reading as much as the next nerd, but humans are naturally visual creatures. Give your followers something to gawk at. Eye-catching images, graphics, and videos will help your posts stop someone mid-scroll to engage with your content.
Swimwear brand Left on Friday dropped this soothing, looping video of the ocean into its Instagram feed. If that doesn’t stop you in your tracks amid the chaos of your news feed, what will?
8. Share Content Authentically and Showcase Personality
No one comes on social to be fed a boring advertisement.
Get creative, and get real. Be genuine in your interactions and communications. Transparency builds trust, and customers appreciate businesses that are open and honest.
This publishing house may have grammar pros and proofreaders on staff, but its Facebook posts are conversational, friendly, and internet-speak (complete with emojis).
9. Stay Updated on Trends and Stay Informed
To “watch the trends and stay in the know” means to pay attention to what’s happening around you. It’s about watching the latest things in your interest or work. By doing this, you can understand what’s popular or changing and make sure you stay updated. It’s like staying in the loop so that you can make intelligent decisions and be aware of new opportunities.
Social media keeps on changing. To remain vital, you also need to be informed of trends. Follow online tastemakers, watch the explore page, and stay active as a participant.
10. Reuse, Reshare, and Recycle
Social media is crowded, so if you want to gain traction with your audience, you need to post great content regularly. The secret to doing this? The three Rs:
Reuse
Create a Facebook post from a customer review, splice up a blog post into a series of Tweets, distill a case study into a customer spotlight on Instagram, and turn a webinar deck into a carousel post on LinkedIn. The possibilities are endless.
Reshare
It is to be done in moderation but is a great way to fill gaps in your content calendar. Repost on Instagram and retweet user-generated and influencer content. You can also curate content from authoritative sources and share those links in your posts.
Recycle
Post your TikTok videos and Instagram Reels to YouTube; re-share your top-performing blog posts every month to get in front of new followers; add your Facebook Live recordings to your YouTube channel.
Prioritizing the Right Social Media Channels for Your Business with Britechx
Using social media in marketing does more than improve site traffic and increase your reach. It turns your business into a personality your audience can communicate and connect with on a deeper level.
Whether you use which platforms or how, the most essential thing to consider is not using social media as a platform simply via pitching your business. It is your community where you can unveil your personality, show who you are, and share valuable data to help those around you develop. Pitching will be optional, with people naturally following you and promoting your content. And with this approach, you’ll achieve your business goals and all other intangibles that translate to gratification and fulfillment.
As someone who’s part of Britechx, I can help your business figure out the best social media channels. We look at what your business wants, your audience, and what’s trendy. Then, we make a plan to make your business shine online. We don’t just try to sell stuff – we want your brand to show its personality and connect with people. With our support, your business can be in the right online spots, making friends and getting noticed.
Final Thoughts
Social media has become a vital instrument for businesses to connect with their customers, promote and sell products or services they offer, and utilize the popularity of this brand. Only some of these benefits that companies can gain from social media platforms include better brand awareness and customer engagement. For the most effective use of social media to achieve successful business performance, businesses need an overall plan and actively participate in it.
As a leading digital marketing company, Britechx is ready to help your business choose the best social media platforms.
Our expertise extends beyond conventional marketing practices, incorporating authenticity, visually compelling content, and an acute awareness of prevailing trends. Under our strategic guidance, social media becomes a potent platform for selling, articulating your brand’s unique personality, and forging enduring connections. We propel businesses beyond transactional engagements, fostering a community where your brand identity, values, and information are shared authentically. With Britechx, envision your business meeting its objectives and making a lasting impact on the digital stage.