- Social Media Marketing for Local Business – Why Your Business Needs to Be Present in Social Media?
- 8 Benefits of Using Social Media to Advertise Your Business Locally
- So Which Social Media Platform Is Best?
- No Local Business Can Neglect Social Media
Social Media Marketing for Local Business – Why Your Business Needs to Be Present in Social Media?
There are many benefits to maintaining a social media presence in order to better your establishment in real life. Brick and mortar spaces need all the help they can get in this day and age, and social media provides the venue to get more people into your store! An important part of marketing, maintaining an active and fleshed-out social media presence can bring many favorable results to your business: from free advertising to social proof, getting personal with your community has tangible benefits you will see almost immediately. Not only that, but an active social media presence will also support your SEO efforts indirectly. While it’s best to understand all the trends involved with SEO in particular, you can’t go wrong with more backlinks and comments!
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SEO thrives on engagement and the benefits of using social media to advertise business locally will show you why.
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8 Benefits of Using Social Media to Advertise Your Business Locally
While there are many more benefits to using social media marketing for local business ventures, here are some of the top reasons to start posting!1. Facebook Recommendations
Often times when people are looking for a new establishment, they go to their friends and post online. Recommendations like these are all over social media, but Facebook in particular. If your brand has a profile on FB, you give anyone searching for you a sense of who you are and what you do. Besides, if people can’t see your presence on Facebook, they may come to think that you’re not legitimate! Social media marketing, local business profiles, and more will all lend authenticity to the public near you.2. Facebook Social Proof
By getting reviews written about your company, you will encourage other people to try your business. This is because people trust reviews and they trust their friends – exactly the things that social media excels at! This is also a great opportunity to show that you care about all your clients. Answer reviews, reply to comments, and show everyone who you are!3. Local Advertising
Local ads on social media are an effective way of getting local traffic for your business and maintaining an active store. By targeting locals specifically, you can lower your marketing costs since the net you are casting is a lot more specific to the region you work in. [caption id="attachment_52014" align="aligncenter" width="1290"] Source: https://www.facebook.com/business/goals/promote-local-business[/caption]4. Building a Community
Creating a great community on social media has almost the same effect as creating a dedicated fan base in real life! Communicating with customers is easier than it has ever been before and gone are the days when owners and operators are working in the shadows with the public left in the cold. Many communities are active on the internet and provide a great benefit to the greater public (and the organizer in particular). It pays to get your name out there! Facebook provides some tips and ideas on how to grow your community in groups. [caption id="attachment_52016" align="aligncenter" width="1292"] Source: https://www.facebook.com/business[/caption] Of course, Facebook is not the only social media you can create a community in. Instagram is also a very popular tool to engage people and create a loyal group of fans.5. Promoting New Products
One of the easiest reasons to convince anyone to maintain an active social media profile is that you can immediately announce new products. This capability is extremely convenient and easier on the wallet than more traditional means. Instead of paying to get ads hosted in a variety of places, just post a tweet about your new offerings! Not only that, but you can also show stages of development as you produce a new project – get audience feedback immediately and showcase every step of the development of a new product and you will gain a ton of relevant information. Don’t forget – audience interaction like this also means that you’ll generate a ton of excitement as you plan! Getting people involved is what social media is all about and it works very much in your favor. [caption id="attachment_52019" align="aligncenter" width="1292"] Source: Instagram @fentybeauty[/caption]6. Source of User-Generated Content
Getting the help of your customers is a great way to get free advertising for your business. The best way to do this is by engaging with your audience and giving them a glowing representation of your brand! Having a list of social media accounts that can be tagged by your audience is a fantastic opportunity to get new people interested in what you have to offer. Getting to repost fan-made content is also a great way to get the word out! [caption id="attachment_52053" align="aligncenter" width="1288"] Source: Instagram @lululemon[/caption]7. Connect with Local Influencers
No matter where you live, there is someone with enough fame to get your business recognized. While huge influencers are massively expensive to work with, smaller ones can focus on smaller businesses for a fraction of the cost. This means you can leverage their audience to create a new source of potential customers ready to come to your store! [caption id="attachment_52055" align="aligncenter" width="1291"] Source: Instagram @eatingacrosschicago[/caption]8. Sell Direct Through Social Media
While obviously not a sound strategy for huge corporations, small businesses can truly excel when it comes to making sales online. Many jewelers, for instance, love Instagram, because they can show off their creations and immediately get DMs asking about them! [caption id="attachment_52057" align="aligncenter" width="1290"] Source: Instagram @handmadewithmeraki[/caption] Small businesses can leverage the intimate nature of social media to their advantage and generate business entirely online.So Which Social Media Platform is Best?
So, you know that social media marketing for local business is worth considering if you want to grow your business. But which platform is the best? This depends entirely on your business. While choosing the right platform for you focus on:- the services you provide,
- the products you sell,
- the type of clients you have (or want!),
- the style of communication you want to use.