5 Reasons Why Social Media Works for Small Business

One concern I hear from small business owners is, “Social media might work for big companies, but it won’t work for my small business.” If you’ve had these types of thoughts, you’re not alone.

But, why would a small business owner feel that social media wouldn’t work for them?

For many small business owners, radio, newspapers, billboards, commercials and direct mail campaigns are what have worked in the past. It’s what they grew up with. It’s what they know. Consumers have become hyper-aware of advertising. Many people have tuned out these traditional marketing strategies. One thing that most people have in common these days is that they’re on some form of social media.

80% of the US population has at least one social media profile.

94% of US adults aged 18–24 use YouTube.

51% of Facebook users visit the site at least once per day.

The median American uses at least 3 of the top 8 social platforms.

Users 65 and older are now driving social media growth.

If those stats aren’t enough to convince you, here’s 5 reasons why social media works so well for small businesses:

1. Cost Effectiveness

In terms of reach (here’s Facebook’s definition of reach), there is no other form of marketing that will allow you to reach a high volume of people with such a low budget. For example, I’ve run several short ad campaigns in the $20 range that all reached between 7,000 to 10,000 people. What other form of advertising is going to provide you with this kind of reach for $20?

2. Targeting

Social media allows you to tailor content and ads to the audience of your choosing. You can choose behaviors, traits, and demographic information to reach your customers. This allows small business owners to continue to reach target markets and also reach out to customer segments they may have had trouble reaching in the past. This function alone is what separates social media from all other forms of advertising. Through social media you can literally reach anyone and build your own custom audience that you can re-market to over and over.

3. Keeping It Local

Consumers are hyper-aware of how they’re spending their dollars. Most people would rather give their money to a local business than to a big box corporation because people are still looking out for what’s best for their community. If you aren’t active on social media or managing your online presence and reputation it will be significantly harder for people to find you. Being active on social media and having a proven social process in the works helps bring the focus back to local business and allows you to be the hometown hero. If you desire more local business, look no further than social media.

4. It’s a Flexible Medium

If you have a radio ad, you can’t send out new staff photos over radio waves. If you have a billboard in town, you can’t share a candid video clip. Social media is very flexible when it comes to sharing content. You’re not limited to one medium of communication. You can share audio, video, text, web pages, GIFs, and more. As a business owner, time is precious and sometimes you only have a few minutes to snap a quick photo. Sharing these photos with short captions is a great way to introduce your followers to your business and share your story with them.

5. Your Customers are Already There

Are you looking for new customers or maybe even a way to connect with existing clientele? They’re already on social media, so why not reach out to them? Many consumers, especially younger demographics have tuned out traditional forms of advertising. So, while social media might seem strange to you, it comes so naturally to a lot of your customers. People are used to scrolling and looking for ways to connect and share with other people. There are over 2 billion people on Facebook right now, so chances are your target market is there. You just have to find them.

Optimize Social Media provides social media & reputation solutions that evolve with our clients. As social media experts we manage Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yelp, YouTube and Instagram accounts for our clients on a daily basis. We help the modern business owner implement a specialized social media strategy so that they can make more money in real life. Enjoy our blog.