Should your business be using social media?

The ubiquity of social media

Social media has become a ubiquitous term that is used in every industry and sector, has no alignment with social standing, income level or nationality, and is only slightly tilted toward the younger age groups. Social media is everywhere, on both an individual and business basis: if your business isn’t using social media to promote its products or services, then you’re almost certainly missing out.

What IS social media anyway?

To some people, social media is posting statuses on Facebook or Instagram, checking news items on Twitter or watching cat videos on YouTube. To businesses, social media is an inexpensive way of reaching half the world’s population. Let’s check some of those numbers to really understand what we’re saying

Of a total population of 7.6 billion people:
o Over 4.3 billion people use the internet – that’s 57% of the globe’s population
o Over 3.4 billion people are active social media users (45% penetration)
o Over 5.1 billion people are unique mobile users (67% penetration)
o Over 3.2 billion people are active mobile social users (42% penetration)
o In the UK, 67% of the population actively uses social media
With numbers like these, why wouldn’t a business want to involve itself with social media marketing?

Why do businesses use social media marketing?

Word-of-mouth has never been so important. Nowadays, when consumers want to buy something, their evaluation starts with visiting the company’s Facebook, Instagram page and Twitter feed, and checking out the reviews. If a business has no social media presence, there’s a strong likelihood that the consumer searching to buy product X will quickly find a competitor that does.

Did you know that in the UK in 2019, 67% of the population actively used social media?

This compares with a figure of 45% worldwide. (1) 

Social media gives your business a voice – a voice that can tell your consumers how you’re different and why you’re better than the competition. Social media keeps your brand relevant and if you use it well, can offer your business real competitive advantage.

How can businesses benefit from using social media?

So, we’ve pretty much agreed that social media marketing is essential for modern businesses. Let’s take a quick skim through the benefits to your business:

Fast, easy, two-way communication
You can reach your relevant audiences but crucially, they can also feedback to you, in real-time.
Increase traffic to your website
Social media will attract different audiences to your website – some that may otherwise never have heard of your brand or product.
Increase your brand awareness
A good social media strategy can bring huge brand recognition as each of your posts that is shared will be seen by a new audience.
Customer satisfaction
By creating a voice for your brand, you are humanising your business. Customers appreciate receiving personal responses to any comments they post on your page, plus it gives you the opportunity to act on feedback.

Social Media Platforms

There are many social media sites available but we’re going to look at the most popular four sites with the most active users.

Facebook
2.27 billion active users worldwide, 68% of adult social media users
Instagram
1 billion monthly active users, 500 million daily active users
LinkedIn
Over 590 million registered users, 260 million monthly active users
Twitter
317 million monthly active users

Setting the foundation for your business success

It’s fair to say that a good percentage of your existing and potential customers use some of the social media platforms that we’ve talked about here. So, if your business doesn’t employ at least one or two of these platforms to spread your messages, then you’re missing a trick. It can be a bit time-consuming to set up initially, but the opportunity is too big not to seriously consider implementing.

A good social media strategy can be difficult to develop. If you’d like to talk through your requirements, please feel free to contact me. I can help you decide which platforms would work best for your brand and target audience and make a start with a compelling content calendar. Today is a great day to begin embracing social media! To find out more, contact us.

More about Rachel, Senior Associate Consultant at C8

Rachel has a balanced mix of Sales and B2B Marketing experience gained over 20 years in the Tech Industry with companies such as Nortel and BT. She has headed up global communications divisions for both Avaya and Sage including setting the standard for global best practice on social media. Strategically focused, Rachel is passionate about business and committed to going the extra mile to delight clients.