Is Social Media Really Important for Small Business Owners?

How to Use Social Media to Drive Business

For small business owners, large marketing campaigns and pricey advertisements are usually not in the budget. But, just like with all businesses, there is a need to market a company’s products and services. One marketing channel that has proven both inexpensive and effective for many businesses is social media. The recent increase in popularity on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest has made using social media an effective platform for businesses to market themselves at little to no cost.

Why Social Media Marketing is Effective

Think about what you see when walking through a mall or having a meal at a restaurant – almost everyone you come across in public has some kind of smartphone device and are, more often than not, checking their social media sites for updates from friends, family, and their favorite companies. The accessibility of customers through social media makes this kind of advertising a no brainer when it comes to marketing a business on a budget. Although it may seem simple to launch a Facebook or Twitter page to promote the company’s products or services, some planning needs to occur before the campaign is launched in order to achieve the level of success desired and meet marketing goals.

Creating an Effective Social Media Marketing Plan

When starting a social media marketing campaign, it is important to ask some key questions and make sure this strategy will be effective for the business. First, decide what the social media marketing campaign should achieve. Is it more business? More exposure in the market? By defining what outcomes are desired it will be easier to plan the campaign. Next define what social media channels are appropriate for your customer base.

If the company is looking to make more business to business connections, LinkedIn may be a good choice. If the company is trying to reach consumers directly, Facebook and Twitter may be a better option. By answering these questions ahead of time a social media marketing campaign will be more organized and driven toward the desired results.

Social media is everywhere – smartphones and computers allow consumers to have access to social media sites 24 hours a day. Using this platform to promote a business is an inexpensive and effective way to reach a small business’s target audience quickly and easily. Even though this may seem like a no brainer, proper planning is needed to make sure the campaign stays on track, presents a consistent message to consumers and will yield the desired outcomes for the small business owner.

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*Photo Courtesy of Acid Pix via Creative Commons License