Benefits of Social Media For Business

Social media has its benefits and drawbacks both in business, individual lives, communities and family dynamics. After everything we have come to know about it, can we actually identify even two benefits of social media for business? These, except the false hope that businesses can actually sale through social media? Yes, there are more than two benefits of social media for businesses. In this article we explore the advantages of social media for business.

1. Promote Your Products

Reach hundreds of thousands, millions to billions online through social media with information about your products. Social media is a very effective way of raising product awareness for so many reasons. Today millions of people are online - social media, every minute more than they are accessible anywhere. By just being online and active, you stand a great chance of multiplying the number of people who know about your business and its products as your content appears on their timeline.

2. Add Value To Your Products/Services

Information is king! When you share more information about your product/service with your customers online you add value to the product. For instance, if you're a clothing shop, you share ideas of how to style different clothing items you're adding value. That is great for marketing. What a better place to offer that than where your buyers are spending most of their time on - social media? Social media is important for businesses.

3. Build Relationships

Through your updates and interactions online you can connect with some people whose love for your business is deep and emotional. Those connections grow into lasting and meaningful relationships. This is good for consumer loyalty, boosting your referrals and brand advocacy.

I've thought that this is all great but mostly for large firms until I saw all of this being invaluable for a college I run at Entumbane, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I mean, I've seen some parents stand up to other parents who will be unhappy about something as they explain what the unhappy parent may not understand or missed in communication. We've also seen parents continuously send their children and their neighbours our way. It's all so heartwarming. We use WhatsApp and WhatsApp groups as well as Facebook and Instagram. It's just a small college with an enrolment of 120 students this 2022. Social media is beneficial for businesses of all sizes.

4. Lead Nurturing & Closing Sales

In Africa where we clearly skipped using emails that much for social communication in the digital transformation, social media is a big deal in people's everyday lives. That being said, when people have expressed interest in your business products/services the best way to nurture them as potential buyers till they buy is through social media.

As you share updates, tagging and mentioning them you're driving them, ever so gently, down the sales funnel. As you share content in groups, answering questions and related in WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram groups you're building their confidence and trust in you. They will eventually buy. The whole process gets to be so organised and measurable it's both effective and beautiful to watch.

It's smooth especially when they come from a group chat to inbox enquiring about your products/service and you close the sale, while they stay in the group to be able to testify in there - generating a multiplier effect in sales.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, all businesses will increase their chance of growth by being active on social media. There are so many advantages of being on social media despite the drawbacks. As Influence ZW , we are in business to advise, and help businesses and entrepreneurs stand out on social media marketing for growth. Contact us and join our WhatsApp group for Ambitious Millennial Entrepreneurs