I hate social media is a phrase we hear a lot! “It’s a waste of time.” Or, “I’m a business owner, not an Instagram influencer.” This kind of thinking is more common than you’d think, and having this thought process could be leaving thousands (even millions, depending on your industry) in revenue on the table. Before your social-savvy competitors hit Social, gaining access to those dollars is easier than you might think. Seven Benefits of Social Media for Business — for Nay Sayers: More cost-effective than traditional advertising Lays the foundation for a trustworthy brand reputation Helps find new customers and reach a larger audience quicker than other forms of advertising Your business brand becomes human (more on that later!) Enormous benefits from user-generated content and unsolicited shares Gather customer feedback and reviews and engage directly Social media can help you build an engaged community   How do we garner results? Social Media is more cost-effective than traditional advertising. One of the main benefits of using social media for business is that SMM is more cost-effective than traditional media. For a basic comparison, CPM for Broadcast TV is $36.19. For FaceBook and Instagram it averages out to $7.1 per 1000 impressions, and on LinkedIn it’s $6.59 per 1000 impressions. SMM also allows you to boost posts and run ads which helps your business reach a larger audience for minimal resources. For an idea of what Silesky Marketing charges for posting on your behalf, give us a call, or send us an IM on Facebook or Linkedin.. By regularly posting custom curated content, your business will attract new followers and potential clients and build a community of engaged customers. Finding new customers and reaching a larger audiences is easy on Social Media. In fact, in 2021, there were 4.48 billion people actively using social media globally. This is an increase of 13.13% year-on-year from the 3.69 billion in 2020. When your company posts on social media sites, it helps your business rank better on search engines. For example, if you Google “Sephora” or “Home Depot” as two examples and scroll down after their Google ads, you will find the top links to their Twitter, FB, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn accounts.   Your business brand becomes more human What’s this mean? Customers want to do business with brands they know and trust, and social media is the #1 way to build that trust. 64% of consumers want businesses to connect with them! (You’re more popular than you think). By sharing your company’s brand story, industry news, or product/service information on your social platforms, you are transparent about your values and therefore you can show customers that you’re more than just a faceless business looking for their business.   Benefit from user-generated content and word-of-mouth UGC is any content created by someone other than your company, such as reviews, testimonials, or product photos that they share on their channels by either tagging your business or posting it on your wall. This kind of content is precious for your business because it helps build trust and credibility. When customers see that other people are happy with your product or service, they’re more likely to give you a try. 92% of people value product recommendations from people they know above all else. It also has the potential to generate external links back to your profile and website, which massively benefits your ranking in search engines.   Engage directly with your customers Social media is also a great way to gather customer opinions and engage directly with your audience. By monitoring what people are saying about your brand online, you can quickly address any concerns or issues. It also shows people how you deal with problems, which can be a positive. Additionally, social media gives you the chance to have one-on-one conversations with customers and get their honest feedback about your product or service. By regularly sharing valuable content and interacting with your followers, you can create a group of loyal fans interested in what you have to say. If your fans are customers, you can also benefit from a high net promoter score — the golden goose of word-of-mouth marketing. Additionally, social media allows you to connect with other businesses in your industry and form partnerships or collaborations.   Most platforms also have excellent analytics tools Analytical tools let you understand your audience better. Using these tools, you can learn more about your customer’s needs and wants, demographics, and how to serve them better. Lay the foundation for a trustworthy brand reputation Customers are more likely to trust a brand they’ve seen online than one they’ve never heard of. By building a solid social media presence, you can establish your brand as an industry leader and gain the trust of potential customers. Let’s take Sephora as an example again — in 2019, famous singer SZA complained about being accused of shoplifting in a retail location. The incident sparked negative discussion about racial profiling around the brand. As a result, Sephora took to their social accounts to announce their stores would be closing, temporarily, so employees could undertake diversity training. The public saw this as an active move for improvement. Without a social presence? Crisis management on this scale is either impossible or impossibly expensive — your choice. This applies if you’re a solo services provider as well — by using social media to establish yourself as a thought leader, you can attract potential customers and grow your business.   Avoiding the Pitfalls of Social Media 101 Here’s how your business can avoid making some common mistakes on social media: Keep an eye on the tone of your posts: Be mindful of the language you use on social media and avoid coming across as angry, defensive, or condescending. Don’t post misleading or clickbait content: Clickbait is designed to get people to click on a link without giving context about what they will see. This type of content is annoying, but it can also damage your reputation