How Businesses Utilize Social Media as a Marketing Tool
· Varying Uses for Social Media
From large to startup companies, you will find nowadays most businesses will use social media to market their products. It may be used as merely an announcement platform for upcoming events, products or ideas.
· Social Media Platforms for Advertising
You will find that large companies will place their products in advertisements on social media platforms to utilize the large volume of audiences.
· Customized Adverts
You will also notice adverts appearing on social media from items you have searched for on the internet. This is a clever tool used by large corporations to customize the adverts you see to suit the products you want.
· New Businesses on Social Media
When considering businesses in their infancy, sometimes social media will be the most cost-effective marketing tool. It will most likely be the first option new business owners will consider for promoting what they have to offer.
How to Use Social Media for Small Business Marketing
· Starting Out
When considering ways to market your new business, social media is often at the forefront. It can be used to introduce your products, yourselves, your team (if you have one) and perhaps even your workplace.
· What Products Should You Market And Where?
For example, a newly opened vintage shop in the heart of Surrey will probably use Instagram to show off their aesthetics. Whereas, a bike manufacturing organization would benefit more from showing off their products that their workplace. Instagram is a great tool for small businesses where image is at the forefront of what they have to offer. However, platforms like Twitter would benefit an organization whose products are better sold with words. For example, you might see team of a large Supermarket ‘trolling’ people on Twitter. This is a very clever marketing technique to put their name at the forefront of people’s conversations.
· Would This Work For You?
The only downfall with this is usually it only works with well-known large corporations who have the resources to pay someone to troll people. If you are a small business at the beginning of your journey, it would probably be a waste of time and resources to do this.
· Figuring Out Your Brand And Owning It
A local carpentry business has recently opened around the corner from me and they are using social media to introduce themselves and their craft. They have used different social media platforms to celebrate what they do and surely enough, others are picking up on it. They often celebrate their humble beginnings and dedicate every Tuesday to one of their favorite tools (#tooltuesdays).
Why Businesses use Social Media
· When did Social Media become a Useful Business Tool?
Social Media took the world by storm with the introduction of Myspace, back when teenagers couldn’t be seen past their giant fringes and excessive emo makeup. Myspace started a revolution of a new way to market yourself with the focus being on musicians and bands. Other businesses saw the advantage when Facebook took the lead in Social Media Platforms.
· The Social Media Takeover
Our world is now surrounded with social content. Social media models and brand ambassadors can now be considered as famous as some actors and musicians. We are constantly checking our phones for ‘likes’ and ‘snaps’ instead of looking around at billboards and tv commercials.
· Learning to Adapt
Businesses have had to adapt with the change in the way we socialize and the way we consume, or they would find themselves left behind. As the world is online, we have also seen a transition to many businesses becoming online only. You are more likely to survive in the digital universe with a niche clothing brand than opening up a store. You are also more likely to spread the word on your products and reach a much larger audience.
· Or Get Left Behind
For many consumers, if you don’t have a website you might as well not exist. With many consumers actually considering a link to an Instagram Shop section to be good enough for a company to be recognized.
Social Media’s Importance for Small Businesses
· Getting your Start Up off the Ground
As discussed in the previous section on How to Use Social Media as a Small Business, this can beneficial to begin selling their products. You will often find startup businesses that use Etsy as their main selling platform will advertise their products on Social Media.
· Spreading Your Message
This is an important step for any small organization to be able to reach a wide audience and spread their mission statement. The evolution of the #hashtag has seen growth of communities with the same message including businesses. For example, the trend of ‘self-care’ across social media has seen a growth of businesses marketing themselves to suit. You will find artisan candle makers selling their products for aromatherapy needs.
· The #Hashtag Takeover
Small businesses such as this will use platforms like Social Media to glamorize their products with the clever use of imagery. Imagery and the incorporation of hashtags can aid small businesses to
grow at a steady pace whilst building their ‘followers’. Small businesses can build a following with Social Media platforms to spread their message, whether that be self-care or even cleaning services.
· Find Your Audience
With the worldwide web taking over the way we shop, this allows small businesses to choose their target audiences. As a small business owner, you would benefit from learning more about marketing within social media. You could also find larger companies as yardsticks for how you hope to spread your own message and mirror some of their techniques.
Overall, we see Social media as a huge asset to economic growth across the world whilst also allowing aspiring businesses to find opportunities to grow independently. This can often make things like start up business bank loans redundant and reduce the impact of economical debt.
