There’s a lot of fuss surrounding social media these days. If you still haven’t jumped on the bandwagon and aren’t sure why so many people are making such a big deal about it, here are 14 benefits of social media for your business and you from Success magazine.
For Business:
Establish a Brand and Raise Awareness
Since the majority of the population is already visiting social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, getting your brand name all over those networks can help let people know that you’re around. If you have yet to create a company image online, social networks are the place to do it.
Create a fun YouTube video that entertains and informs. Funny videos tend to make their way around the Internet a lot faster than any other kind, so when making a video, keep in mind that you want it to be interesting enough for your target audience to want to share. Using Facebook and Twitter to create a fun online community that your customers will want to visit will boost brand loyalty and drive traffic to your Website, allowing you the chance to make more online sales.
Spy on the Competition
Follow your competitors on Twitter and Facebook and you’ll be able to see what they have up their sleeve. Just make sure to provide a better deal than whatever they have going on.
Pitch Products in a More Human, Interactive Way
Since people visit social media sites to get personal rather than be bombarded with ads, discuss your business in a fun way and engage your customers with questions. Ask their opinions and entice them to respond back. This way you’re making a valuable connection that will help grow your number of return customers.
Bring Attention to Your Products
Featuring a product on a social media site is one of the fastest ways to bring attention to it. Give a promotion along with it for your online community members and watch your sales skyrocket.
Incréase Customer Loyalty And Trust
Speaking to your customers in a personal way will make them feel like they are talking to a friend, not a company. This will help build their trust in you, which will make them do business with you rather than your competition. It will also improve the chances of customer recommendations.
Listen to Your Customer’s Opinion
Social media sites are an awesome way to see what your target audience is saying about your company or your products. Take their constructive criticism and use it to enhance your product to better meet their needs.
Conduct Market Research
Listen to what your customers say about your products and track what links they click on and you’ll begin to see what your customers like and respond to. People love to express their opinions on social media sites, which will allow you to hear the truth. Then you can use your new-found information to tweak your product or service to please them as well as continue to post more information and links that they will enjoy.
Strengthen Customer Service
Social media networks allow your company to answer your customers’ questions and concerns directly in a timely manner. This will improve customer satisfaction and also save you monéy on long distance customer service phone calls.
For You:
Build Your Personal Reputation
Social networks allow you to get your name out to the world and talk about things that matter to you. This will help you build a good online reputation, which is critical nowadays if you’re looking for a job or even a new business contact.
Display Your Resume
LinkedIn allows you to display your full resume online for any future employers or recruiters to see. This will help bring you new opportunities that would’ever have existed otherwise.
Find a Job
Jobs are posted every minute on social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter along with the links or information you need to apply for them.
Showcase Your Talents And Establish Yourself as an Expert
If you’re passionate about a certain subject, whether it’s work-related or a hobby, the Internet is a great place to show off your knowledge. Soon people will be coming to you for the breaking information on that topic, and talking about you to friends.
Enhance Your Business Contacts and Enhance Personal Relationships
Through professional sites like LinkedIn, you can build your number of business contacts and enhance your reputation as an expert in your industry. You can also connect with those long-lost high school and college classmates, old colleagues, and out-of-town family members.
Share Information with Like-Minded People
Connect with other professionals in your field to share information. Where else would you be able to connect with industry professionals across the globe to swap stories and advice?
