Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. These are just a few of the online social media venues that modern businesses are well-advised to tap into for several reasons. Indeed, ignoring social media can be the start of the end for your business especially given the number of users of these sites and the number of hours spent by your target demographic in these venues. Here are the top three reasons why social media is an essential asset in your business.
It is estimated that 75.6% of the world’s population will use the Internet – that’s 239 million users in total. Add in the statistics of social media users – 51% of active Twitter members follow brands, products and companies while Facebook members click the like button 7.6 million times every 20 minutes for brands, products and companies – and you have the best reason to use social media to establish and strengthen your online presence.
Strengthen Brand Recognition
Your product or service faces tough competition from several other brands in the market. Social media provides for one of the most effective outlets to establish and strengthen your brand’s recognition level among your target consumers. Be where your target customers are, be the brand that they can trust, and be the company they can interact with on a personal basis – all these can be possible in social media sites. Besides, social media provides for the best advertising – word of mouth.
Yet another advantage of using social media to build brand recognition is the ability to monitor it. You can immediately respond to reviews, comments and criticisms of your product or service, thus, nipping problems in the bud while also being aware of feedbacks.
Search Engine Optimization
The brand and company that dominates the search engine ranking war most likely wins the game of profits. Social media sites are now integrated into the results page of several popular search engines including Yahoo and Google, which can be linked to your social media profiles and then to your company’s website. The more people search for related keywords, the more your website will be discovered.
The assumption here is that your website provides for quality articles, relevant industry and company news, and useful information. Social media is powerful but it must be supported by great content from your end.
In the end, social media sites should be viewed as a powerful tool for your business – use it wisely and it will provide for almost limitless benefits.
Check out another interesting article on whether you should consider buying Facebook fans or not.