Small businesses, in particular, have been hit with a particularly hard year. If major businesses are being forced to lay off significant percentages of employees and shut down certain programs, small businesses have been positively crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many have faced this crisis by moving more online than they were before. But if your business previously didn’t have a significant online presence, building it up now may be difficult — and it cannot be done easily alone. This is why many small business owners have chosen to work with a digital marketing company as they work on their online presence.
Moving online in a significant way involves many different factors, from strengthening your website to adding SEO content to your blog. But one of the most important things that a small business owner needs to consider when working online is social media.
Many different components surround creating a strong social media presence as a business. But it’s important now — and it’s only going to become more important in a post-pandemic world. Think about major corporations like Wendy’s and Denny’s. Their investment into their Twitter accounts and other forms of social media stand out amongst others in the fast-food industry. Whereas this online outlet was once merely used for personal interactions, now it’s ripe for use by small and large businesses alike. Let’s look into some of the advantages of relying upon social media for your small business’s promotional campaign.
1. You Can Cement Your Brand
One of the major reasons why small business owners should discuss social media promotion as a part of their digital marketing services is that it helps to create and cement a brand. Your brand is essentially the face of your small business and what you’re all about. When you think of a lot of big businesses, you think of their brand first and foremost. Returning to the idea of Wendy’s, the actual mascot is a crucial part of the brand and its identity.Small businesses should build brands in a similar way, as it will help their message be more easily communicated to their target audience. Simply having employees interact more with social media profiles through likes and shares can strengthen a business’s brand in a major way. This will only take a few more hours of work, but can have a major impact on brand awareness.
2. You Can Increase Your Web Traffic
Did you know that 94% of total organic traffic comes from Google? Social media is just one source of organic traffic. People find it much easier to interact with social media pages than they do with obvious ads. And if your small business isn’t very well known, people are not automatically going to find your webpage on their own.Therefore, they’ll be more likely to go to a Facebook or Instagram page — especially if it is recommended to them on their favorite social media channel. Having your small business be discoverable on as many relevant social media platforms as possible broadens its ability to reach the right people. Therefore, your inbound traffic will increase as more people find out about your business.
3. You Can Facilitate Higher Rates Of Conversion
The point of getting more inbound traffic is more leads — and the point of getting more leads is that they’ll convert and become new customers. The more visible your brand is, the more opportunities there will be for lead conversion. The great thing about social media is that it feels more organic and more human to consumers. People feel as if there is a real face behind the name when they interact with social media pages, which makes them more likely to trust the business and decide to purchase something from them. Comparatively, pop-up ads and other paid ads can seem forceful and can even dissuade potential clients or customers from buying. You want your audience to feel as if they believe in your business and that they’re making a concentrated choice to work with it — not as if they’re being pushed. They’ll be much happier customers in this sense, and hopefully offer regular business in the long term.
Obviously, social media may seem like an odd choice to focus on as you attempt to revitalize your small business post-pandemic. But this is the best possible way to reach out to your target audience, gain its trust, and build a brand. To learn more, please contact us today.