I get it. The days of being “social” used to mean handing out your business card or extending a firm handshake to build relationships. But now, your mobile device and scrolling feed of content seems to be all the rage.

Only it’s not – social media and its instant gratification is here to stay.

According to a Clutch survey, less than half of all small businesses are using their social channels on a consistent basis. Plus, 24 percent of businesses have no social media presence whatsoever.

Which means you probably didn’t catch that lukewarm review of your latest dinner menu? And you couldn’t respond back to the online commentary?

Or, how about the five-star service that your clients are raving about (yes, yours!), but couldn’t post on your business page or even tweet at you?

If you’re not hanging out where your customers are, then who’s collecting your virtual business cards, building those important relationships, or even advocating for your bottom line?  

Marketing isn’t what it used to be, and social media is only “one part” of an effective plan, but here’s why it serves as a big portion of your meal ticket.

Customer Insights

According to Hootsuite, there are 500 million tweets, 4.5 billion “likes” on Facebook, and 95 million photos and videos uploaded to Instagram every day. This is a viral goldmine in real-time, giving insight into your customers’ preferences. You can now appeal to their every whim, much like cheating on a chemistry test. Only in this case, it’s highly encouraged to take a peek at the answers.

Customer Service

Lip service doesn’t pay the bills, but do you know what does? Customer service requests, funneled through social media, earn 20 to 40 percent more revenue per customer. McKinsey reports that this upshot leads to repeat purchases, upsells, and product recommendations. In other words, your online followers are your spokespeople. Treat them well and you’ll inspire brand loyalty.   

Customer Email Marketing

Email providers, like Constant Contact, are singing social media’s praises. “Sharing your email newsletter across your social networks can open up your content to a whole new audience. You can also use sites like Facebook to attract more readers by including a ‘Join My Mailing List’ link right on your page.” Marketing these days comes down to integration – platforms should intersect and build on one another.  

Customer Education

Teens (a.k.a. future consumers) now spend up to nine hours a day on social media. With all age groups surfing the net, a whopping 3 billion users, there’s a surge in tutorials, webinars, product reviews and featured benefits. Known as Content Marketing, it offers a window for small businesses to provide useful information without “selling” to the masses. The more traffic you summon, the higher you’ll rank in search engines too, so that you can be found more easily online.  

When it comes to social media, are you “winging it”? Maybe you need a wingman or woman instead? One Part Social caters to you – the small business owner. We’ll play up your social media presence, so you can get back to business as usual. For a complimentary strategy session, reach out.

Oh, and of course, we still like a firm handshake too.

 

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