Businesses needing a strong social media presence has become such a truism that it’s almost passed into the halls of cliche.
It’s just a well-known fact that if you want your business to succeed, it’s not enough to have a great product or service; you also need to make sure that you engage regularly with social media.
Whether it’s creating videos for TikTok, posting beautiful images on Instagram, or showing the world your brand’s wit and class on X (or Twitter, as it was once called), social media is one of the cornerstones of a great business strategy.
Since it’s become such an obvious hallmark of a great business, though, many entrepreneurs have forgotten why social media is important.
Here’s why every business must have a social media presence in order to succeed.
The time when brands didn’t know how to engage meaningfully with social media is over. We’re now living in a time when it’s easier than ever to become a social media guru as a brand.
That’s not just because the rules of engagement have become clearer, but also because there are tons of services and agencies out there that can help you.
Take a look at Edge Marketing Brisbane’s social media offerings, for instance, for a good idea of what kind of social media help awaits you out there.
Naturally, that’s an Australian business, and your needs might vary slightly depending on where you are in the world, but the fact is that world-class agencies like that are just the start of your social media journey.
Even if you’re a complete neophyte when it comes to social media, there’s no excuse anymore, so make sure to sign up for all the major platforms as soon as you can!
You can engage directly with customers
There really is no substitute for cutting out the middleman and going straight to the customer, especially when you’re running a business that depends largely on word-of-mouth.
Communicating with customers directly is a great way to make sure they feel valued and appreciated by your business, and it’ll make them more likely to spread positive impressions of you amongst their peers as well.
In addition, in the unfortunate event that your customers have a complaint about something you or one of your employees has done, you can address the complaint directly and discreetly on social media.
Engaging directly with customers is something every business should practise, and social media facilitates that connection with minimal fuss and effort.
It’s free to sign up
This is perhaps the most persuasive argument for any business that’s looking to boost its profile and increase engagement without breaking the bank.
Every major social media platform is free to sign up to, and although extra advertising will, of course, cost you, the simple act of posting or commenting on others’ posts is free on apps like X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Any business worth its salt fully understands the value of a marketing tool that’s essentially completely free of charge, and that’s what social media represents for your business.
Don’t let a free opportunity to shore up your brand presence pass you by when it comes to social media. Trust us when we say you’ll regret it.
If you’re not using social media, you can pretty much guarantee that your competitors are, and they’re going to seize every advantage they can get over you.
When your business doesn’t have social media, it looks like you’re unable to keep up with rival businesses around you, and that’s not a good look.
As even the most cursory market research will tell you, letting an advantage slip out of your grasp and into the hands of your competitors is never a good thing, and that’s what you’re doing if you neglect social media.
If you don’t want to let the other businesses in your industry seize valuable conversions from right under your nose, then you’ll want to sign up for as many social media platforms as you can.
Every business owner has almost certainly experienced that moment when something goes horribly wrong. PR disasters are, unfortunately, very common in the business world; from press slip-ups to scandals, you’ll likely experience something like this during your tenure as a business owner.
Social media can help enormously to soften the impact of such a blow. Using social media, you can be self-deprecating and humble, assuming that your PR incident isn’t too serious.
If you do experience something a little more grave, then social media can be the perfect platform on which to issue a heartfelt and sincere apology (don’t be false; your followers will see through you instantly).
Without social media, you’ll have to stick to impersonal-feeling press releases and announcements, which won’t help much as they’ll make people feel like you’re not being honest.
You can tell everyone about new product or service initiatives
In a world absolutely teeming with startups and hopeful entrepreneurs, it can be hard to communicate a new product or service idea to those who might want to avail themselves of it.
Social media can help you to do just that. By putting together the perfect social media marketing campaign, you can introduce your prospective audience to something they’re not going to want to miss.
This approach should be taken in conjunction with traditional press releases, which usually contain more in-depth information. Pointing people towards an official blog post or announcement using social media is also a great idea.
Don’t just take our word for it, though; even academics agree that social media is a great way to boost brand awareness and get more eyes on your business.
Conclusion
As you can see, social media is one of the most powerful tools in a business owner’s arsenal.
Whether it’s marketing, crisis management, or customer communication, social media can help to reinforce almost all aspects of your business, resulting in a stronger, more efficient, and more engaged operation on all fronts.
