7 good reasons why social networks are indispensable for your business
If you're wondering whether it's time to launch your company into the world of social networking, I'll tell you why you're on the right track and how important and beneficial a digital identity and social networking presence really is for your business.
Let's start with the numbers: the figures in the annual report of We Are Socialin collaboration with Hootsuite, reveal that, by the end of January 2022, users registered on social platforms have increased from 1.482 billion in 2012 to 4.623 billion in 2022; a figure that has tripled in the last 10 years.
The figures speak for themselves: on average we spend almost 7 hours a day connected to the internet of which 2½ hours on social media.
Whether or not you are present on social media, remember that both your customers and your competitors might be and that, chances are, someone is already talking about you and your company.
If data is not enough for you and you still think it is not necessary to open up to the world of social media, I will now give you 7 good reasons that might change your mind:
1. SIMPLER AND FASTER TARGETING PROCESS
How many times have you found advertisements in your mailbox that you cared little or nothing about? The targeting is the remedy to this obsolete way of advertising that targets everyone without distinction.
If you have chosen not to be on social, remember that a good chunk of your customers and potential customers are. The data I have shown you is proof of this.
Not only are they present, but they are active, sharing valuable information about their interests, opinions and lives; information that, used with the right strategy, can enable you to target your audience.
Thanks to this process and targeted strategies, you have the opportunity to perform accurate analyses of this data and target your selected audience, increasing the opportunity to reach only those users potentially interested in the product or service you propose.
This, translated, means decreasing the advertising budget and allocating it to a targeted and efficient strategy. Little expense, big yield.
2. FACILITATED CONNECTION CREATION
You may have noticed that every social platform (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok etc.) has its own unique style and language.
Thanks to the communication rules of the platform on which you have chosen to operate, you can interact with your customer by immediately creating a direct line that will allow you to get to know them better in order to identify their needs, win their trust, and gain concrete and lasting loyalty.
3. IMPROVED CUSTOMER CARE ACTIVITIES
We live in the society of Q-Commercewhere Q stands for 'quick'. Our customers, consequently, expect clear and comprehensive answers in the shortest possible time. We are in the age of everything and now, and whether we like it or not, we have to come to terms with this reality.
Thanks to social media, Facebook in particular, this communication process becomes easier and more immediate if your customer needs support or encounters problems with a product or service you have provided.
To make the Customer Journey a pleasant and unique experience, it is therefore essential that the support before, during and after the sale is fast, professional and attentive.
4. A TRANSPARENT COMPANY GENERATES MORE TRUST>
Have you ever thought about how you choose one brand over another?
Before the web, increasing business was done by word of mouth. Today, this word of mouth has evolved and finds fertile ground on the web.
Consumers follow a process that differs little from what happened in the past:
- are attracted to companies that have adigital identitypresent online with a website, social page or YouTube channel;
- observe them more or less anonymously and begin to get a general idea;
- seek the reviewsor who and what is said about a brand, here is where word of mouth, or rather its evolution, takes place; it is the online reviews that influence consumer choice.
If your customers are satisfied with your products or services, they are likely to look you up on social media and leave a positive review.
If they encountered problems, they might contact you on social media for more information, to complain or for support. In this case, you will have the opportunity to provide them with immediate support or respond in a crystal-clear manner.
This strategy becomes an important selling point for your audience and for new potential customers who have the opportunity to see how serious your company is, how it cares about its customers' needs, how it listens to them and finds solutions to provide them with the best possible experience.
5. MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE YOUR BUSINESS
The most successful pages are those that provide valuable, original, appealing and engaging content.
Why? Because in addition to intriguing users, it is thanks to this content that a brand can be more visible, can position itself adequately on search engines and thus reach a wider audience, get in touch with new potential customers and significantly increase business.
6. YOUR COMPETITORS ARE ALREADY ONLINE
The fact that your competitors are already present on social media is not to be underestimated for two fundamental reasons:
- are already putting into practice all the strategies I have told you about so far ahead of your time
- you can study their moves and predict them
Your social presence makes you a competitor not only in the industry but also online: if you know how to professionally exploit social platforms, you will have the chance to outperform your competitors in ways, strategies and timing.
7. THERE IS NO REAL POINT 7
Social presence has now become a ID card. It identifies you, it shows the world, virtual and otherwise, who you are, what your strengths are, what your value is, how you position yourself with your audience, how you support them and how you make them experience your brand.
I told you this at the beginning, but it bears repeating: whether or not you are present on social media voluntarily, someone is already talking about you and your company, which is why it is better for you to do so in a way aware e professional.
However, you should be aware that having a professional presence on social networks also has cons:
- if the message conveyed does not reflect the corporate image, it can confuse customers and make them lose confidence in your brand;
- time is a precious resource e, using these platforms on a professional level requires a constant investment of time and tools.
- We are talking about professional socials that need a defined project, targeted management and constant analysis; if they are managed by incompetent people, the risk is to generate costs without any economic feedback, making the commitment of resources useless;
What you see online is just the tip of the iceberg of the work behind companies' social pages.
Behind the scenes is in fact a concealed stage where specialists are busy analysing data and statistics in order to
- design and improve strategies;
- to modulate these strategies according to evolving platform trends and rules;
- to predict and plan future actions.
That is why it is important to rely on professionals who study trends and who have the ability to design and invest the tools and skills available to optimise costs and time, with a single objective: to grow your business.
If at this point I have convinced you but you do not know where to start, click here to request a free consultation.
