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how to utilize social media

With the increase in online shopping, your business demands a digital presence. For customers to buy from you, they should know about your existence. They decide whether your business is worth the shot or not. Here is where social media comes to your rescue. 

Social media brings your business directly to your customers. It acts as the bridge of communication and connection. But, how does it do that? How does social media, a place of entertainment, help expand your business? 

Let’s find out, shall we? Here is how social media increases your business sales and establishes your brand: 

Social Media is free and Popular 

First and foremost, social media is never asleep. It is always being updated with posts despite time and space, like magic! And this magic brings your business right in the middle of where you want it to be. You no longer need to look for customers rather they reach out to you.

All it is needed to constantly show up on social media despite the low reach, less followers or engagement. That is the hardest of all and if your business can endure this, it instantly makes you better than your competitors.

Verifies your Brand 

With the help of social media your business is verified as real. It lets your audience know that you exist, without having to visit your website. People can see what your business is like, what kind of customer it is looking for. They can recommend your business to suitable people if required. Therefore, add accurate images of the products you sell, or your physical store.

Decreases business cost 

Using social media to promote your business directly to a global audience is all free! You don’t have to subscribe to any of the platforms with money. Just showing up on these platforms everyday to prove your worth. Posting relatable content for your audience that too for free if you know how social media works.

Social media makes it possible to boost your sales and customer reach without investing in paid ads. But you can as well use it to promote yourself out of your social media account but within the platform.

Connect with your Audience 

The free benefit of social media is how easily it can bring customers at your doorstep. If you have a target audience and produce customised content for them. It lifts your sales, website traffic and Google rank.

Your audience can see you from anywhere, whenever they want. With your sales driven posts they can understand the need to purchase your products. They come to trust your brand and keep coming back to for more.

Easy Customer Support 

Since social media brings you customers even outside a website, it also provides 24*7 customer support for your business. For example, there are times when your audience do not have access to Gmail and don’t know you have a website. So, how are they supposed to contact you in case of a complaint or query?

Here is where social media saves you as people can post their queries in the comments and you can directly answer them without any phone calls or mails. Easy right?

Now that you understand how social media can help your business drive more sales and connect with customers. You must learn how to use social media to do the same.

Before diving into the tips and tricks, you must know which social media platform is best for your business. For example, if your business serves other firms, be active on LinkedIn or Twitter. If your business serves individual customers, be active on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

Always be active on one social media platform at a time. Like, once you are doing good on LinkedIn or Instagram. Move on to Facebook or Twitter. The standard period to be consistent on one social media platform is 3-6 months. Don’t overload yourself with too many platforms at the same time.

Tips on how to use social media for your business

Strategy is your key

You begin posting on social media with the expectation that it will widen your audience and sales. You don’t want to post mindlessly and waste your time and energy on nothing. Having a strategy or plan helps you reach your goals on time.

For the perfect strategy, be clear on goals. Who is your target audience? How can your products help them? What separates your business from others? Include these in your content to see how people engage with it. Update your strategy when needed to remain relevant in the market.

Set brutal goals

It takes time to build a brand on social media, be brutal and set realistic goals. Don’t expect 1K followers and 1M likes in a week or 10K followers in a month. It may be your 50th or 100th post that goes viral and earns you a significant number of followers.

Never lose hope and give up on creating good content. You can always repost your old content after you go viral. But don’t stop before or after that, focus on offering value to your customers. Lay low and be consistent.

Stick to one platform

When you introduce your business through social media, stick to one platform. You might be in a hurry to get customers quickly, so know your audience. Which social media platform is a hub for your target audience?

If your business targets younger customers (15-27), post on Instagram. But if it aims for a bit older audience (35-55), post on Facebook. Don’t just rely on this information but check for yourself. Observe when and where does your audience engage the most and post accordingly.

Establish trust

Social media builds a brand for your business and convinces people to buy your products. For this to happen, your audience needs to trust you. They must realize that your business is worth spending money on.

To establish trust with your audience, regularly engage with them. Reply to the comments on your posts host a live Q&A session to answer queries related to your brand.

Partner with various influencers or brands to advertise your products. It helps verify your business and increases your brand traffic. People want to buy your products as they find your brand reliable.

Be Humble

Everyone starts with nothing. It should remind you how you build your social media brand from scratch. Always be grateful to your early followers and customers. Express your gratitude by thanking them in your posts, stories, or tags. Host an interactive session and talk with your followers.

Ask them to share how your products help them. Offer discounts and free giveaways, have your customers feel special. It shows that no matter how big or small your business is, your customers matter the most to you.

Priority is Quality

You must be consistent on social media and post on the regular. So as a beginner, it is easier to fall into the ‘more posts more engagement’ trap. But, none of these matters because your audience wants quality over quantity.

Choose one social media platform for the next 3-6 months. Add your brand voice, goal, and products in your posts but make it so that your audience can relate. You can have four posts in a month but a loyal number of followers for the value your posts provide.

Experiment like a child

As you frequently post on social media, learn to be fearless and have fun! For example, add a sneak peek of your workday in your stories to show how you work. You can also show your off-day schedule to build a friendly relationship with your audience.

If you have posted images with captions, try posting carousels or memes. If you have posted loads of reels, try performing trends to increase your business visibility and connect with your audience. The variety in your posts helps you separate from others and establish yourself as a unique brand.

Sales are your Endgame

Never forget the reason you came to social media in the first place. To create an immediate connection with individual customers and increase sales. The only way to withstand your business in this ever-changing profit-driven market is to learn the art of selling.

Make it a point to include a selling factor in your post without appearing desperate. The goal is to be strategic, be friendly but add a call to action. For example, your business is a content writing agency. So, you post about how to improve your SEO strategy.

Add a call to action, add a link saying that your agency helps with this. Your audience must understand how you can benefit their needs. Thus, hire a copywriter if you can to include a compelling buyer persona into posts and increase your sales.  

Tools are your best friend

We have talked about being consistent on social media. Slipping sales into posts while you connect with your audience. The best way to achieve this in say two weeks, is to use the correct tools. It makes posting on social media easy and effective.

Want to create alluring posts? Use Canva. This free designing tool helps you customize your brand design, colour, or font. Canva is the tool that understands your brand vibe and brings variety to your social media posts.

For example, you can use Canva to design templates, carousels, add illustrations that scream your brand goal. This makes you stand out because every design is unique and telling.

Want to post at peak time to get more reach? Use Hootsuite Publisher or Facebook Business Suite. These automation tools help you schedule and post your content as per your audience engagement time.

Want to track your social media progress and see why your competitors are better or how are they doing? Use analytics tools like Google Analytics or BuzzSumo to check how your brand performs on social media.

Conclusion

You must know by now that social media is a great asset that will give a faster and mind-boggling reach to your business. You have to be patient and steady with your efforts, only then can you ace the social media game and win in the market.

FAQs

Do I need a social media manager or marketer for my business?

Ans:  Yes and No. If you have too much work to handle, or you don’t know how social media works, then yes, you need a social media manager or marketer. But make sure you have the budget to hire a social media specialist.

While, if know how social media works and can do the job perfectly by yourself. Then no, you do not need a social media manager or marketer. You can use various social media tools. It saves you time yet ensures that your brand performs well.

How frequently should I post on social media?

Ans: It depends on how many social media platforms are you active on at the moment. Every social media network works differently. For example, post 3-5 tweets on Twitter every day. Post twice a day on LinkedIn and Facebook.

When should I post on social media?

Ans: This too varies from one platform to the other. Professional social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter should have morning and late evening posts. Because people usually check these while and after coming back from work. Whereas, Instagram and Facebook, a relaxed platform. Post in the afternoon and late evenings.

Is YouTube going to help my business grow?

Ans: Yes! YouTube definitely helps your business grow in the long run. YouTube is easily available for the majority of your audience and easy to use. Invest in YouTube ads to increases business awareness.

You can post a variety of posts like short videos, long videos, interviews. You get an online community where you can directly bond with your audience by doing polls or asking to comment on a particular question.