Social media for business is booming. Nearly a third of the world’s population now uses social media (Kemp, 2016). If Facebook were a country, it would be the largest on Earth (Stenovec, 2015).
Yet many small businesses might still be wondering how to use social media. Or asking what are the benefits of using social media? Yes it’s great for sharing what you ate for breakfast or that funny thing your cat did the other day. But social media is also great for helping with everyday business activities too.
Here are our top 4 ways to use social media for business:
1) Customer Service
With 90% of Britains now having internet access (Statistical bulletin…, 2017) it’s no wonder consumers are reaching out to companies on social media. Gone are the days of sitting on hold listening to dodgy Take That covers. People can Facebook message, Tweet and leave comments to their heart’s content. What’s more, these comments can be visible to everyone, and the likely chance is, if someone’s not happy, they will want everyone to know. In fact, big brands such as McDonald’s and H&M have now set up dedicated customer service Twitter accounts to manage customer service messages.
2) Advertising
Advertising on social media can be very effective. You can reach an incredibly targeted audience based on their location, age, profession or even whether they’ve joined the ‘Marmite Museum’ page on Facebook. Responses to adverts can be easily tracked by the number of impressions, clicks, comments or shares. Facebook’s ‘Pixel’ technology even allows you to track the complete purchase journey from first interaction to check-out.
3) Personal Selling
Brands without the big advertising budgets can also use social media for personal selling. For example, the ‘advanced search’ function on Twitter allows you to find users who might have tweeted about ‘needing coffee’ within 5 miles of Covent Garden or ‘a new pair of jeans’ in the UK. Savvy businesses can jump in and start a conversation with these users and direct them to their store or website.
4) PR & Crisis Management
Social media is now positioning itself as a credible news source. When major news stories break, you can expect it to be ‘trending’ within seconds. Unfortunate companies caught in the midst of a crisis can now use social media channels to issue statements and use damage limitation tactics to prevent a PR nightmare. Not long ago, household beauty brand Dove publicly apologised on social media for a seemingly offensive Facebook advert which resulted in the hashtag #boycottdove to trend (Fottrell, 2017).
So, there you have it, social media is smarter than you think! If you would like any more information or to speak with a member of our team, please e-mail hello@cocoondigital.com.
Sources:
Fottrell, K. (2017, October 9). Dove apologizes after video clip on Facebook is labelled ‘racist’. Retrieved from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/did-dove-create-a-campaign-that-women-find-offensive-just-so-it-would-go-viral-2017-05-09
Kemp, S. (2016, January 27). Digital in 2016. Retrieved from https://wearesocial.com/uk/special-reports/digital-in-2016
Statistical bulletin: Internet access – households and individuals: 2017. (2017, August 3). Retrieved from https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshouseholdsandindividuals/2017
Stenovec, T. (2015, January 28). Facebook Is Now Larger Than The Biggest Country on Earth. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/facebook-biggest-country_n_6565428