In the past year, I keep hearing a variation of the same question: “I don’t like social media. Why do I need it for my business?”
It’s an interesting question and speaks to what is happening on these sites. In recent years, social media has picked up a bad reputation. It has happened for a number of different reasons but it seems that most of it revolves around how others behave in an aggressive, negative or argumentative way.
The growing distaste for social media has caused many to turn away and not want to be part of it. I completely understand why someone might feel that way… personally. However, if you are a businessperson, you should not let how your personal feelings get in the way of making business decisions.
Social sites are still viable marketing channels. Below are five reasons why you should consider marketing your business on social media.
The World is Online
Remember the Yellow Pages? The days of simply putting an ad in that book to get business are over. Today, 95% of Americans choose to go to the internet to find the products or services they need. Social sites are a part of that.
Consider this: Zephoria.com reports that there are over 2.27 billion users just on Facebook. Five new profiles are created there every second! Users spend an average of 20 minutes per visit on the site. That is 20 minutes of time when you can get a post or ad for your company in front of them.
With all of those people in one place, the chances are pretty good that some of them need your product or service. This is true for both B2C and B2B companies.
For the latter, LinkedIn is the right place. There are over 467 million business users on that site. Hootsuite.com reports that 50% of B2B buyers use the platform when they make purchasing decisions. If your company isn’t on that site, you won’t get considered.
Build Awareness
How many shirts, hats or vehicles with company logos do you see in a day? They’re everywhere! That’s because it’s a sound way to build awareness for a company.
Being active on social networks does the same thing. It gives you an opportunity to create buzz and top of mind awareness. These prospects will populate the edge of your sales funnel and when it’s time to buy, they’ll remember your company.
Enhance Your Brand’s Reputation
Social sites allow prospects and customers to get to know your brand. Through your posts, you can share information that they find valuable and that helps establish your business as an industry expert.
Over time, that will make you an authority in your field and build trust with prospects. That moves them closer to buying from you, because people purchase from companies they know, like and trust.
Better Search Results
Using social media strategically can positively impact your search results. Google indexes LinkedIn and Google+ meaning posts on those sites are kept in its database. Google will then reward companies that are active on those sites with better search rankings.
But there is an added benefit, as well. If your website is search optimized correctly, a search could deliver multiple entries in the search rankings. For example, on the first page of the search results, you could see listings for your website and also relevant LinkedIn and Google+ posts.
Your Competition is Already There
If you still remain unconvinced, then this point should motivate you to get on social media: Your competition is already there! Sixteen million local businesses have pages on Facebook. Hootsuite.com reports that 57% of businesses have a company page on LinkedIn.
These companies are reaching out and finding new customers on social media. Can you really afford not to be there?
The Wrap
While you may not like social media from a personal perspective, don’t let that opinion sway you from making a logical, business decision. Social media sites remain viable marketing channels that offer affordable, targeted marketing opportunities.
If you’d like to learn more about social media for your business, call me for answers at 513-237-5530.
Bob Turner is a Digital Marketing Consultant with RevLocal in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Bob Turner - Digital Marketing Thoughts 
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