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5 Reasons Your Business Needs To Get Serious About Social Media

In millions of households across Australia, the early morning social media ritual is the only way to start the day. The all-purpose smartphone has become the first step in our daily routines, silencing the alarm to check emails and scroll through ‘socials’ before we put a foot on the floor!

Most people do this again on their morning commute, at lunch, multitasking during their favourite shows and in many cases, several other times during the day. All because social media offers a plethora of content, engaging billions of people all over the world. Social Media is a powerful tool for your business marketing and communications strategy, with a huge amount of potential to expand your audience and engage with your clients.

So, if you’re a business today, you’re probably on social media in some way, shape or form. Do you have an active and thriving presence or are you a spectator, watching the possibilities pass you by?

Here are 5 reasons why your business needs to get serious about social media:

1. Brand awareness

With a massive user base, social media platforms offer the potential to be seen and heard by more and more people. Your social account profiles present the opportunity to curate your content, improve brand visibility (beyond the goods & services you provide) to build awareness, recognition and engagement.

Showing up isn’t enough. You need to create and post compelling content that adds value for your target audience and introduces you to a new network of individuals. By posting quality content and interacting with audiences, your brand becomes more accessible, familiar and appealing for new prospects and current customers.

Of course, it’s not just the size of your audience, but the quality and relevance of it that’s important. Your brand can reach relevant audiences organically and through targeted advertising, which when used effectively, can help you promote your content, syndicate your message and reach potential customers.

2. Thought leadership

Posting original, insightful and well-written content on your social platforms is an effective way to connect with your audience as an expert and leader in your industry. Thought leadership articles help to build credibility and authority for your brand, establishing your business as a trusted voice in the field and a go-to source of information. By publishing intelligent and forward-thinking content you can directly connect with your customers and create a relationship they will value, to become a notable leader in your field.

3. Stay ‘top of mind’ for your customers

Social media can help your brand become and maintain top of mind status for potential consumers by keeping your content in their social feeds at regular intervals. Businesses can leverage multiple social media platforms to connect with their target audiences through different touch points in the buyer’s journey. This initial introduction might have been made through Instagram when they then come across different content on LinkedIn, generating new impressions every time the individual sees your content. Regular posts, even if briefly viewed or scrolled over, can have a lasting effect in the viewers mind.

Studies indicate that social media users often check their social accounts multiple times a day, providing a key opportunity for your brand to connect with your followers when they are online. By posting entertaining and informative content and keeping your content in their social feeds, you can help your brand stay top of mind, so that your brand is their first thought when they are ready to make a purchase.

4. Customer engagement and brand loyalty

Unlike traditional media, social media affords a two-way communication channel between customers and your business. Social platforms allow you to engage with customers ‘where they are’, affording the opportunity to interact with them directly through comments and messages.

All businesses want to develop a loyal customer base. Customer satisfaction, engagement and brand loyalty are typically interlinked so communicating with consumers and building a mutually beneficial relationship is key. To maintain an audience of engaged followers, your brand also has to be active and engaged on the platform to respond to comments and questions in an appropriate and timely manner.

5. Reputation management

Social media affords a space for people to freely share their opinions, true or false, positive or negative. Your customers may already be discussing your business on social media, regardless of whether you are there to respond. By monitoring the activity on your profiles and taking the audience temperature so to speak, you can see customer interests and opinions that you might not otherwise be aware of and engage accordingly.

Social platforms are also a great tool for crisis management, with the ability to quickly distribute updates and information publicly to a wide audience. Effective use of social media can help mitigate negative commentary before it becomes a major issue, or alternatively thank, acknowledge and draw attention to the kind words of others.

 

It’s clear that an effective social media strategy has proven advantages for businesses leading to increased brand awareness, website traffic, better SEO, improved brand loyalty, and much more. Your competition is most likely already on social media, so it’s time to get serious about your social strategy to start experiencing impactful benefits. The sooner you start, the sooner you can drive business success!

TaurusSocial© is an innovative service offered by Taurus, advising you on every aspect of your social media presence, what you should be doing, what works and what to steer clear of. Read more about TaurusSocial© here.

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