Why Social Media Should Be Your Secret Weapon

Remember those days when you went to class just to go but you'd slouch down in your chair and dodge any and all eye with your teacher to avoid getting called on.

Maybe you forget to read the assigned text, or you weren't prepared for your presentation, whatever the case may be.

Point being, there is a really big difference between having a presence and being present.

When it comes to social media, too many businesses are caught up on the idea that creating an account meant that they were taking advantage of the benefits.

But the ability to log in means nothing if you're not inclined to actually participate. 

It's time for businesses to understand that social media isn't just a fad. In fact, when implemented correctly, it's their secret weapon. 

Customer Service

We've reached a point where using social media for customer service inquires is no longer suggested, it's required.

Receiving customer feedback enables a company to correct any issues or concerns customers may have with the company's products and its services. When customers provide feedback, a company is able to save money, time and improve relationships with customers.

According to research conducted by The Social Habit, 42% of respondents expect a response within 60 minutes. 

Even more shocking, 32% of respondents who attempt to contact a brand, product, or company through social media except a response within 30 minutes.

If your business doesn't have a plan in place to respond to social media outreach in a timely manner, social media users aren't going to be forgiving. 

Social media serves as an extremely helpful, interactive platform for businesses to connect with customers, respond to questions and concerns, and simply be social. 

By responding to feedback in a social setting, you are ultimately inviting the community to take note of your interest in customer feedback and overall responsiveness. Two qualities that could have a major impact on their decision to do business with you or keep looking. 

Your business can't get ahead if you don't help. With businesses beginning to adopt a second Twitter handle dedicated solely to providing support it's clear that strengthened social care is proving it's ability to help you get a leg up on your competition. 

Humanize Your Brand

The simple truth is that people want to do business with people.

By maintaining an active presence on social media, consumers will feel as though they have more access to you and your product or service.

The goal is to let your personality shine beyond your company's logo. This means taking the time to understand who it is you are speaking to and what the most effective way to communicate with them is. 

Listen more than you post so that when you do post your content is well informed enough to resonate, garner authentic relationships, and increase trust.

Share images, provide sneak peaks, show off your workspace, and respond to people. This type of behavior invites loyalty, which ultimately results in the distribution of your content. 

Build & Strengthen Relationships

Before social media, business people used to have to wait for networking events, meetings, or conferences to get together to connect with people on a personal and professional level. Now, connecting with customers, industry influencers, and other business owners is simplified in an online setting. 

However, in order for your business to build real relationships with real people all over the world, your social presence must reflect your willingness to interact. 

This means focusing on relationship building over broadcasting. 

Sharing other people's content, providing feedback, and making a conscious effort to engage and express interest in what other people are doing in your industry is a great way to get the conversation started. 

Spend Less Money

If you're focusing on PPC alone, you're pouring your resources into something that is eventually going to run out.

And once a PPC campaign runs dry, what will you have in place to sustain your efforts?

While it's a misconception that social media is entirely free (you must pay someone to create the content and maintain it), it does have the ability to significantly reduce your marketing costs.

After all, one tweet that has the ability to reach hundreds and thousands of people is far more cost effective than launching and maintaining a paid advertising campaign.

Plus, once you've established a heard of brand advocates on social media, they begin to do the work for you. By passing your content on to their following, you're ultimately getting in front of a ton of eyeballs by simply taking the time to craft a remarkable 140 characters.

Improve Your Organic Search

So you think social media is just a fad?

Did you know that every time someone links to your content it provides your business with an opportunity to increase visibility on search engine results pages? 

Yup. Every shared social post serves as a link that search engines use to determine which sites are credible and which sites should rank high for particular keywords.

What all of this means is that your business absolutely must be focused on creating and optimizing content that will encourage social sharing.

With the average buyer engaging with more than 10 pieces of content before making a purchase decision, you want your content getting shared and show up when potential customers go searching. (Source: Zero Moment of Truth)

If you build an interested following, your providing yourself with an opportunity to get in front of the right eyeballs at the right time to spread your content.