When it comes to building your brand and your online presence, social media is a great way to go.
A growing number of businesses across the country are turning to social marketing to spread the word about their brands.
Here are just a few ways your business can do the same:
Social Marketing Statistics
Social media is no longer just a way to keep in touch with friends and family. It's quickly becoming a marketing channel that small businesses nationwide are turning to each day.
In fact, according to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 92% of the small businesses surveyed said they use social media for marketing purposes.
In addition, close to 90% of small businesses use Facebook for their social marketing needs with Twitter and LinkedIn coming in second with around 75%.
As for time spent on social media, 58% of small business owners spend 1 to 10 hours a week marketing their brands on social media.
If your business isn't marketing on social media yet, there's no better time than now to jump on the social bandwagon.
Doing Social Media Marketing Right
More and more small U.S. businesses are using social media for their marketing endeavors and for good reason.
The article "5 Benefits of Integrating Your Text Message and Social Media Marketing" describes how social marketing can help various businesses reach a wider audience.
With that in mind, here are a few examples of some smaller businesses already using social marketing to reach customers:
• Plated - This small food delivery business sends delicious ingredients and easy to follow recipes to consumers' doorsteps. In order to increase outreach, Plated features its five-minute meals on Twitter and posts meal preparation videos on YouTube as well.
• Optimal Run - In order to reach out to active social users, Optimal Run creates personalized jogging videos for each pair of its running shoes. It posts these videos on Facebook and then opens the floor for questions and comments.
• Sevenly - This small clothing brand increases awareness for various charities and nonprofits by giving $7 dollars of every shirt it sells to charity. Sevenly promotes its philanthropic activities by regularly posting pictures of its clothing line on Facebook and Instagram.
With the businesses above in mind, how can you market your brand using social media?
Facebook for Customer Support
One of the best ways to prove to your customers how much you care about their business is by using Facebook as a customer support tool.
Not only is Facebook perfect for answering marketing questions and comments, it puts your customer support efforts on display for all social audiences to see.
Take Advantage of Photos and Videos
A great way to cut through the social marketing competition is by posting photos and videos that feature different aspects of your brand.
This can include photos of a new product line or videos of your products in action, like the running shoes example above.
Stay Active
One of the best words of advice any small business can follow when marketing on social media is to stay active.
Posting a marketing campaign once or twice a week and not engaging with your followers won't cut it. If you truly want to find success on social media, you need to devote a few hours a week minimum to your social endeavors.
If you're ready to attract more customers to your business, give social media marketing a chance.