Having an active social media platform is essential to growing your business. It’s where potential leads and customers can see your brand’s personality and voice! Aside from looks and gaining a loyal following there are many other benefits of having a healthy string of social media. 

We’ve come up with eight benefits of social media that hopefully get your’s started if you haven’t already! 

1. Improve Brand Loyalty

Return customers are highly valued in any business. They are the ones who will advocate for your business and help strengthen your brand. Social media can create a comfortable community between you and your customers. Ideally both parties will have similar ideas and values. Seeing them displayed on your audience’s feed will increase their awareness thus encouraging the support they have already been giving you.

2. Bond With Followers

This point is related to the first. Interacting with your audience on social media is a great way to get to know your fan base on an individual level, what they like about your brand, and what you can change. Being able to have such direct contact with your customers also allows you to put rumors or negative comments to rest- you’re able to nip bad publicity in the bud by being courteous and understanding. This will help you maintain that treasured relationship.

Related: 5 Ways to Increase Your Social Media Following

3. Be A Thought Leader

There is more to social media than Facebook and Instagram “likes”. Blogs give your business an opportunity to be thought leaders in your market. If you are in your field it’s safe to say that you must have lot of insights and advice you can offer to people that are interested in what you do. Creating a blog will allow you to be an information hub for your following. You can write about the do’s and don’ts of your industry, your personal experiences, or anything really! Just share your thoughts and people will listen if they see that you’re a credible source.

4. Increase Sales

Of course your goal as a business owner is to increase sales and profit. With the right content to attract new customers, social media is a great way to increase your bottom line. Promotions can be shared through all of your platforms. In doing so, this can create an initial contact for your and new potential leads to help give you some bonus sales before the new season.

5. Bring In And Keep Talent

Working at a reputable company attracts fresh, creative talent to work on future projects. Social media helps convey your company’s culture and values so you don’t have to go sifting through the same resume and cover letters. Finding talent through social media like LinkedIn can filter out your potential employees and hopefully whoever takes the next position is a fan of your work and wants to share it.

6. Gain Audience Insights

Going back to creating relationships with your following, social media will help you grow your business. If customers are complaining about a faulty part or the buying process is too complicated you will hear it first in your comment section. Make sure to constantly check your notifications in case there are any new praises or concerns. Your audience is the user of your end product and you get an amazing chance in getting their opinions right away.

7. eMingle with Influencers

Influencer marketing is becoming a popular way of getting your product shown to the market. Finding an influencer that produces to your target audience is a shot at taking the back seat in the direct marketing. Having a trustworthy voice speaking about your product can turn things around. In order to find the right influencer it will take a little bit of research but you’ll definitely meet people along the way that may be helpful in the future.

Related: Streamlining Social Media In Your Marketplace

8. Viral Content

The only way you’re going to be an internet sensation is if you create content on social media! Adding a little bit of humor and pop culture into your strategy is never a bad thing, unless you’re a really corporate firm. It’s best to understand your target audience before you go around posting NSFW pictures but it’s all in good fun with the right intentions. Social media gives you a gateway to overnight success but of course this is all based on luck but pushing content out gets you one step closer.

Hopefully these 8 reasons are enough for you to jump on that social media bandwagon. Just have some fun with it! You know your audience enough so don’t be shy and show your personality. Engenuity gets you much further than being timid.