Why Your Business Needs Social Media and How to Get Started
Social media has become imperative for every modern business. It’s a rule of thumb and a non-negotiable tool that significantly boosts brand awareness. In fact, as of 2024, four out of five marketers said that social media marketing is a leading contributory factor for brand exposure. Apart from brand awareness, how can social media guarantee the success of your business?
In this article we’ll explore why your business needs social media. We’ll cover clear steps in choosing the right platform, strategies, benefits, and ways on how to get started.
Why is social media important for business?
Here are some key reasons why leveraging social media is a must for every business.
Expand brand visibility
Social media is where your customers spend the most time. It has diversified how businesses communicate with them. With the advancement of social media, corporations can access a vast audience that they can engage with.
Leveraging popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok is a good way to connect to your customers, market your products, and keep your brand top of mind. This not only increases visibility, it also boosts trust.
Enhance customer engagement
Social media allows you to interact with your audience in real-time, through comments, messages, and posts. This direct connection builds a bond with your customers.
This may lead to attracting existing customers, and by consistently engaging with your audience, you build a community around your brand.
Cost-effective marketing
Social media marketing is not only effective but also cheap. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have cheap ads. As a reference, the average Cost Per Click (CPC) for the former is $0.26 – $0.50, while for the latter, it’s $0.01 – $0.25. They can help you reach specific audiences, unlike traditional marketing. You can get a better return on your investment and make the most of your resources.
SEO advantage
Sharing links to your site on Facebook and Instagram can be very beneficial. It drives direct traffic and improves your site’s search engine rankings. This boost can significantly enhance your visibility. To understand how your content performs, Google Analytics and Google Trends are key tools.
Google Analytics shows which social media platform delivers the most traffic to your website and the kind of content that interests your audience. Google Trends presents the most popular queries across the globe, including cities.
Another great resource is Exploding Topics. It helps you find trending topics early which allows you to create content that attracts views and shares. This is achieved by finding popular topics that are on the rise. With these, you can improve the position of your business in search results.
Drive sales
Many platforms now have integrated shopping features. These features make buying easier. Thanks to them, businesses can turn interest into sales where customers are most engaged.
This blend of eCommerce and social interaction creates a smoother journey from discovery to purchase. As a result, it can be said that social media is essential for boosting sales and revenue.
Comparing social media platforms: Features, uses, and audiences
Here’s a table showcasing various platforms and their features.
Platform | Ideal use | Key features | Target audience |
Best for building an online presence through marketing, engaging with customers, and fostering a sense of community. | Features like targeted ads, groups, and Facebook Live enhance Facebook’s capability to connect with a wide audience. | Facebook’s target audience spans young adults, older generations, and businesses. | |
Best for showcasing products and telling your brand’s story through high quality visuals and short videos. | Instagram is all about engagement, offering Stories, Reels, IGTV, and shopping directly through posts. | Favored by a younger crowd, mainly on teens and young adults, with a slight female preference. | |
Ideal for quick updates, customer service, and engaging with trending topics. | Its real-time nature, hashtag integration, and thread capabilities make it essential for timely communication. | Attracts a wide range of users, particularly those interested in news, entertainment, and real-time discussions. | |
The go-to platform for professional networking, B2B marketing, and sharing industry-specific content. | Features professional profiles, job listings, and the ability to post articles and insights. | Targets professionals and business decision-makers across various sectors. | |
Tiktok | Best for reaching a young audience with creative, trend-setting video content. | Known for its short-form videos, TikTok encourages viral content with its music, effects, and highly interactive challenge format. | Dominates with the Gen Z (12 – 27 years old) demographic and younger millennials looking for entertainment and trends. |
Ideal for driving inspiration-based marketing, useful for categories like DIY, recipes, and home decor. | Users create and share boards of aspirational imagery linked to purchase points, supported by visual search and rich pins. | Predominantly attracts women interested in fashion, decor, and lifestyle inspiration. |
How to get started with social media: Step-by-step guide
If you’re a start-up business, here’s how you can start leveraging social media to your business.
Step 1. Define your goals
Determine what you want to achieve with your social media presence. Clear goals let you focus your strategies and measure success. They matter for driving website traffic, boosting sales, or enhancing brand awareness.
This also makes sure all your online actions fit with your overall business goals. It simplifies tracking progress and seeing what works and what doesn’t. This helps you make better decisions and use resources more wisely in the future.
Step 2. Identify your target audience
Who are you trying to reach through your social media channels? It’s essential to gather data on your potential audience’s age, location, and interests to tailor your content effectively. This step is crucial for crafting messages that resonate deeply with your audience.
By clearly defining your audience, you can create more targeted and effective content. This boosts engagement and makes your marketing budget work harder by targeting groups that are most likely to respond.
Step 3. Choose the best platform
Evaluate which social media platforms are best suited to your business goals and where your target audience is most active. Each platform has unique features and caters to different demographics, so choosing the right one can significantly impact the success of your strategy.
Also, think about cross promoting your content. For example, you can post a cool image on Instagram and link it to a more detailed article on LinkedIn. This way, you keep your message consistent across different channels and reach more people.
It also boosts engagement and makes your social media work pay off. By doing so, you’re able to focus your resources on the channels that give you the best return on your investment.
Step 4. Set up a strong profile
Your social media profile often serves as the first point of contact between your business and potential customers, partners, or even future employees. A well-crafted profile creates a positive first impression, conveying professionalism and credibility from the start.
Implement consistent branding elements across all social media profiles and include a strong profile image, a concise and informative bio, and accurate contact information.
Step 5. Prepare for SEO
Having a strong profile also means optimizing your social media for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Start by meticulously planning your content strategy, adding compelling text, visuals, and links. They help create and distribute content that both satisfies user needs and aligns with search engine algorithms
This step also involves using relevant keywords, optimizing hashtags, and ensuring that your social media posts are designed to engage and attract organic traffic.
SEO not only boosts your visibility, also drives more traffic to your site from social platforms. It helps in gaining a higher ranking in search results, which can significantly increase your online presence and lead to greater brand recognition and sales.
Step 6. Monitor and respond to interactions
Stay active in managing your social media accounts by monitoring all interactions, such as comments, likes, and shares. Responding promptly to your audience’s feedback shows that you value their input and are committed to maintaining a dialogue.
Consistent monitoring and interaction develop a dedicated community. They also offer insights into customer preferences and trends. This approach lets you tweak your strategy using feedback which means your social media efforts stay relevant and effective.
Tools and resources for beginners
Here are some robust tools that can help you manage and grow your social media presence, even if you’re new to this.
Website Builder
A website builder is essential for businesses to swiftly create an online presence. It makes web design easy, enabling the creation of good-looking, functional sites without coding.
Additionally, it ensures brand consistency across digital platforms, including social media. This consistency enhances recognition and trust among audiences.
Website Hosting
Reliable website hosting is fundamental for always keeping your site accessible. It makes sure your digital content loads fast and works properly for visitors. This is key to looking professional and giving users a great experience.
Reliable, fast hosting minimizes downtime, protecting your business’s reputation and directly supporting sales.
Hootsuite
This platform lets you schedule posts across multiple social media channels from one dashboard. It also provides analytics tools to see how your posts are performing, helping you make data-driven decisions to improve your strategy.
Mailchimp
While it’s mainly for email marketing, Mailchimp also has features that let you manage social media postings and track engagement. Integrating your email and social media efforts can lead to more cohesive and effective marketing campaigns.
Advanced tips for social media success
1. Leverage video content
Videos are a big plus on social media. Think about doing live streams or showing behind-the-scenes clips from your business to keep things engaging. You can also make your videos interactive by adding Q&A sessions or polls.
This makes your followers feel like they’re part of the conversation, which can make them more interested in what you’re posting.
2. Utilize social listening tools
Keep an ear out for what people are saying about your brand or your industry online. Tools that monitor social media can help you spot trends and see what people like or don’t like. You can also jump into conversations or respond to feedback about your brand.
This shows you’re paying attention to and care about what your customers think, which can really boost your reputation.
3. Implement A/B testing
Try out different things with your posts to see what works best — this is called A/B testing. Change up your images, tweak your captions, or post at different times. Seeing what gets the most engagement can help you fine-tune your marketing strategy.
This method allows you to make data-driven decisions about your content strategy. What works today might be ineffective tomorrow, so continually adjust your approach based on real data.
4. Integrate user-generated content
Get your followers involved by encouraging them to post their own content that’s related to your brand. This could be forum posts, polls, testimonials, etc. Showcase the best of this content on your own channels.
Not only does this give you authentic material to post, but it also shows your customers that you value their input and helps build a community around your brand.
5. Advanced social media analytics
Examine your social media data to see what attracts or repels visitors. Use this insight to match your posts and content to followers’ interests. This method works better with specific tools.
- Audience insights and twitter analytics. These native analytics tools offer detailed data about your followers and how they interact with your posts. You can see metrics like reach, engagement, and demographics. They can help you tailor your content to the most active audience.
- Socialbakers. This tool is great for improving your social media presence on different platforms. It gives you helpful insights about what your audience likes, the best times to share your posts, and the types of content that work best.
- BuzzSumo. Use BuzzSumo to analyze what content performs best for any topic or competitor. This tool can show you the most shared content on social media and identify influencers who can amplify your content’s reach.
- Sprout social. Sprout Social gives you detailed reports on social media analytics. They cover engagement, audience growth, and content performance across platforms. It also allows for competitive analysis and trend spotting.
6. Collaborate with influencers
Team up with influencers who fit your brand’s style and values. They can introduce your business to their followers in a way that feels natural and genuine. Consider working together on special content or limited-edition products.
Collaborations like these can create buzz and give both you and the influencers fresh content that’s exciting and new for your audiences.
How top brands dominate with social media
Here are top brands and how they leverage social media for their business’ success.
Apple (iOS)
Apple knows how to stir excitement. They don’t flood social media with posts, but when they do share about an upcoming iOS update or new product, it grabs attention. Their social media strategy is to use teasers and polished videos on various social media platforms that highlight new features.
This sparks lively conversations online and builds curiosity for what’s next. It showcases Apple’s continuous innovation with every update.
Nike
Nike’s social media is a mix of high-energy videos, motivational quotes, and stories of athletes who push limits. They make smart use of hashtags and campaigns like “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” to engage users.
On Instagram and Twitter, Nike also encourages people to share their own sports stories, making their content feel personal and relatable, which strengthens their connection with fans around the globe.
Starbucks
Starbucks turns coffee cups into a social media event. They introduce seasonal drinks and announce new store openings. By inviting customers to share their Starbucks experiences, they create a sense of community. Their posts often highlight sustainability, attracting those who value ethical practices.
Create an impact with social media
Social media is non-negotiable for businesses today to establish visibility. But remember that effective social media isn’t just about having a presence, it’s also about selecting the right platforms, meticulously creating social media content, and utilizing tools and resources. Learn advanced tips and take inspiration from top brands.
If you’re ready to take a big step in your business, do it with Domain.com. With a robust website builder, SEO optimization tools, and security options, this makes it easy to integrate social media for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Social media enhances visibility, engages directly with customers, increases brand loyalty, drives targeted traffic, and boosts overall sales by providing platforms to reach and interact with a vast, diverse audience effectively.
1. Build brand awareness. Amplifies your visibility among potential customers.
2. Enhanced customer engagement. Allows for real-time communication and customer service.
3. Greater access to market insights. Collects data from audience interactions to better understand customer behavior.
4. Cost-effective marketing. Offers low-cost advertising options with significant reach and targeting capabilities.
5. Improved search engine ranking. Drives traffic to your website, enhancing your SEO efforts.
Social media significantly impacts how businesses connect with their audience, offering a dynamic platform for marketing, networking, customer service, and building brand identity in a globally accessible and cost-effective way.