Business owners often ask whether social media really matters to them and can it help their business. I am in no doubt that if you run a business of any kind and do not engage in social media than you are not exploring all opportunities open to you that would help grow your business and provide more free exposure to your products and services thus enhancing the value of your brand.

One might be forgiven for thinking that the majority of social media users are 18-25 and that that they are not socially active, that they spend endless hours in front of the computer or with their smart phone updating their profiles or posting comments.

Quite the opposite...

The research we are continually running into suggests that the biggest growth area of social media users are in the 35-55 age range and that these people are actually more socially active in the real world than their less active social media counterparts.

What Does This Mean To You And Your Business...?

Well, in short, you can't ignore these individuals, they are the ones making the decisions, buying, recommending and liking products and services that they find online.

Case In Point...

I recently bought a product online and it took ages to arrive, I also bought other products that never arrived but I did not post negatively about these businesses, in fact I will post positively. Why...? Because of the way in which I was dealt with. These businesses do not know that I'm a web designer, nor that I have access to a number of platforms that hold posts about their businesses but they still endeavoured to do their best (despite all odds) to provide me, the consumer, with the products I purchased and I believe this is the true power of social media.

Get it right and a few recommendations come your way. Get it wrong and you could be in for a rough time.

Honesty

Many businesses opening themselves up to social media think of the words “can of worms” and they could be right. If they do it wrong. Social media is simply about getting your brand known, doing it in an honest and open way and delivering what you say you can deliver in a speedy effective manner.

Post an half truth about what you do and it'll be around the web in no time causing you no end of problems. Post the truth and speak honestly about your products and services and it'll do you no end of favours.

We always endeavour to post informative comments, thought provoking questions and engage while at the same time ensuring that our brand is against everything we do.

Is It All About Me...?

No. Social media should be used to engage, interact and make people think. Many of the posts we put up in blogs, forums and social media sites are not their simply to promote our brand. They are there to offer advice, information and hopefully get people to think a little about what we have written.

Take this article for example. As I write and you read the last thing on my mind is winning YOU as a customer. It's here hopefully to help, get you thinking and perhaps help you improve your social media experience.

Who Uses Social Media...?

Surprisingly, the biggest growth area in social media users by age is the age range 50-65. Behind them are the 36-49 year old users and surprisingly there's been a decrease in the 18-35 year old users engaging¹.

Why Should I Use Social Media...?

Simply because your prospective customers are. If you ran a take away business and knew that there was a vacant property right in the heart of a public area with no competitors present it'd be foolish to not even think about opening a business there. By the same token if users, your prospective customers, are engaging in social media then why shouldn't you?

• 48% of consumers combine social media and search engines in their buying process¹
• 24% of adults have posted a review of a product they have purchased
• 35% of small businesses utilize social media in their marketing mix
• 62% of Facebook users between 35-54 years of age have liked a brand
• 61% of Facebook users who have liked a brand note that they are more likely to purchase from that brand

Case In Point...

One of our customers wanted to engage in social media a few years ago so we developed a very simply Facebook page and invited people to use it from the website, through friends and any other methods we could fine to promote the brand.

Almost immediately, within a few weeks, they started making more sales.

Engage

The figures above should raise a few eyebrows, they should also (hopefully) start a process of thinking along the lines of “How can I use this to my advantage” however, don't be drawn into one way thinking. Social media is more about engagement than pure promotion.

Engage, discuss, debate and hopefully get people thinking not just about what you have posted but about your products and services.

Review

Simply using social media is not enough. You have to review the methods you use, what you post and which medium or format works best for your business.

You can easily find out for example how many people read the article you posted, how many of their friends saw it and read it. How many people clicked that link to review the product or service you were talking about and ultimately how many purchases were made as a direct result of the article you wrote.

All of these things are measurable and quantifiable through good metrics systems that allow you to review in real time, or a day later even, how effective each type of medium is for your business.

Below we have attached an overview of just a few of the methods we use to promote a business both on and offline...

Download the entire article here