Social media has been around for what feels like, for-ever. Actually, the first site was created in the late 1990’s.
The whole notion of social media arose to create human connection online. And then… then the brains of these global SM powerhouses realised that businesses could also benefit from online social platforms. And why not?
Flash forward to today. It’s 2020. We scroll through our Facebook feeds and constantly see ‘sponsored’ advertisements, we’re invited by our friends to ‘like’ new business pages and join new groups.
Not only is it essential for a business to have a Webpage nowadays, it has become just as crucial for businesses to have an online brand presence across social media platforms, be it a small, medium, or large business.
Social media, both paid AND organic, is redefining the way businesses advertise and gives large and small businesses a direct way to increase brand awareness, interact with existing consumers and reach new consumers.
For small businesses it creates a level playing field as a ‘free’ medium to post organic content and reach consumers whilst also allowing them the opportunity to dip into paid advertising.
For newbies, organic content refers to posting directly to your social media accounts [whether natively or scheduled]. Whereas ‘Paid’ advertising, well, that’s exactly what you think it means, spending the $ to pay for a more strategic and targeted reach to either existing followers or in the hope of reaching new followers who will convert to paid customers.
The best method is a touch of both worlds, ensuring you organically create content on a regular basis whilst also spending a little, or a whole lot on paid ads [your choice depending on ROI and your marketing budget].
So, if social media is such a powerful tool for business, why is it so undervalued???
Gone are the days of posting a pretty photo and hoping your post receives some engagement.
To represent your brand online you need time, commitment, patience and be willing to put in the hard work.
You need to understand your audience, interact, and engage with them, be responsive, be entertaining, be engaging and be creative.
Do you really know your audience? Do you know them that well that you know what your affinity post will look like? [aka that killer post that has an increase in reach and engagement and your phone is a constant buzzing with notifications].
How about your geo-tagging, hashtag strategy, content creation? Are you reviewing your analytics and finding the best times to post online? Is the tone you are using on your socials reflective of your brand and in line with your web content? Are you being true and authentic to your brand online?
Who’s running your social media? Do you trust them to represent your brand online? Once we post online, we can’t unsee it. Irrespective of who put it there, it’s the business’ responsibility to ensure content on their pages are accurate.
So please, respect social media platforms just as much as you respect your business. If you’re going to show up on socials, show up properly. Be patient. Be authentic. Be consistent. Invest in it because after all, it is your brand out there in the market.
If you don’t have some love of social media and/or you’re not willing to put in the time and effort it takes - and boy, does it take a lot of time and effort - outsource it to a professional who is willing to do the work for you which will free up your time to focus on others aspects of your business.
Don’t undervalue social media because it is a powerful tool for your business and can be a real game changer. If you can’t commit to a social media strategy and implementation, outsource it so someone who wants to see your business grow and flourish. Doesn't your business deserve that?