Who’s Afraid of Social Media? 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Be
It’s time for you to take that big leap for your brand. Find out why you shouldn’t fear social media – in fact, I’ll give you five reasons.
It’s time for you to take that big leap for your brand on social media. Find out why you shouldn’t fear social media - in fact, I’ll give you five reasons.
5 reasons to embrace, not fear, #SocialMedia.
Let’s start by talking a bit about three letters: ROI.
Any entrepreneur with a decent understanding of what a business needs in order to succeed would logically look at his or her return on investment. At the very least, any business would need a certain number of things to function properly. Be it equipment, employees, skills training, and the like, entrepreneurs spend valuable resources – money and time, first and foremost – to acquire these, hoping to see their business bear fruit.
Social media is no different. Though it’s free to just sign up and start being active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and all the other platforms you use to build thought leadership, market products, or reach out to your customers, it’s still an investment in the sense that you allocate your time and marketing budget to it, making sure that it runs smoothly and gets you the results you were expecting.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. And even more unfortunate, perhaps, is how these failures are sometimes enough for businesses to throw in the towel and quit trying to maximize the marketing potential of social media.
The sad reality? Many businesses see social media as a set of problems, not opportunities.
And if you’ve ever been burned by a failed social media campaign in the past – or heard horror stories of wasted marketing dollars from your industry contacts who, once upon a time, thought that they could succeed on these online platforms – you’re likely thinking the same thing.
Here’s the deal: You’re not wrong.
As with any business investment, social media isn’t a 100% guaranteed ticket to success. It would be foolish to think that just because you regularly put out videos and other social media content, your business will automatically soar to new heights in record time.
Social media isn’t something that you should fear, though. Quite the opposite, in fact — if you’re looking at being in business for the long haul, you should definitely consider rethinking the way you look at social media. All those tech gurus and industry pundits who say that the future of the internet is in social media? They’re right on the money.
In fact, we’re seeing the evolution of business through social media right now.
Here are five reasons why you should be on social media right now. I guarantee that these should be more than enough to help you get over your apprehensions.
Get over your #SocialMedia fears - here’s how.
1. Everyone’s on social media - and you’d be missing out on a lot if you stay out of it.
And I mean EVERYONE. Your target market, your loyal customers, your industry peers and competitors — heck, even your suppliers are likely to be racking up quite the following right now! If you still remember a time when you could say that your customers aren’t regular social media users, well, it’s time to let go of that memory.
Just swing by Facebook or Twitter on a whim, and you’re bound to see hundreds, nay, thousands of users, messages, trending topics and viral content all over. In fact, as far as marketing is concerned, social media could single-handedly drive the problem of finding your customers into obsolescence.
Trust me, your target audience is waiting for you on social media, and they’re very easy to find. Social media is a marketer’s dream come true, and it’s time you started living the dream.
2. Finding your way around social media isn’t as hard as it may seem to be.
If you’ve ever felt threatened by the idea of having to navigate your way through social media just to get a strong footing… it’s time to throw that idea into the rubbish bin where it belongs!
Fact: Just like any new thing, social media’s only scary to learn until you actually learn it. That’s because social media was designed to be easy to use. It only looks complicated to folks who’ve decided to knock it before they could even try it.
If you have a website for your brand or business, believe me when I say that handling your social media accounts would be about ten times easier.
Literally all you need to do is to sign up, provide your information and photo, and get right into the thick of it. You’ll be making connections with your audience and establishing direct lines of communication with them in no time!
Why you shouldn’t be afraid of #SocialMedia.[
3. Social media is a goldmine for marketing.
Have you ever wondered what makes social media so attractive to its users (which, as I’ve said earlier, is practically everybody on the internet)? That’s because it doesn’t just let your customers find your business (and others like it) much easier — it’s also because it lets them share so much about themselves.
Social media is a platform for self-expression. It’s a treasure trove of relevant information about your target market, for your business. And the best part is, you don’t have to pay a researcher to get a feel of your audience.
All you have to do is explore a bit, pay attention to the discussions and groups your audience members belong to, and initiate conversations with them as well.
4. Social media serves as a direct line of communication between you and your customers.
Social media allows you and your customers to exchange messages in real time. This means quick feedback, a faster delivery time for your services, and a greater chance for your customers to develop loyalty to your brand.
With social media, you are able to show the human side of your business, the side your customers can relate to. Your audience will be drawn to the fact that you’re more than just a faceless business. They’ll realize what they already know — that there’s a human behind the brand — and they’ll love your brand for it.
5. Social media is an indispensable asset to your sales funnel.
In practically every step of the way, social media presents a unique benefit to your sales funnel. With it, you can promote your business and make it an appealing choice for newcomers who are looking for what you’re offering. You can even use it to supplement your other marketing strategies – for instance, you can build your email list with it.
What are you waiting for? Don’t let your fears hold you back from taking advantage of the marketing tool that so many businesses these days are benefiting from.
Why you shouldn’t be afraid of #SocialMedia.
Congratulations – you’ve finally gotten over your fear of social media. Let’s get you started on creating content for your pages! Check out my collaboration with Skillshare, How to Create Engaging Social Media Content, and learn everything you need to know about creating content that attracts and connects with your audience.
Liz Azyan is interested in the ways new kinds of social data and technology introduce challenges and opportunities to society. Get involved with Liz’s latest project here.
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