SMEs are just as important to any industry as the big multinational companies. They may still have relatively large turnover and dedicated customers that keep coming back. Or maybe they used to come back but lately things have taken a dip…
Why is that? Do you have competition that is taking your customers from you or are you just not up to speed with the tricks and tips of social media today that really help your business flourish? You need to be sure that you’re using social media to the best of its abilities because it is a huge money earner and nearly every single company has an online presence.
Look at some of the biggest brands, they invest thousands into their social media to get the word out about who they are and what new products or services they have and it’s the same for small businesses.
How will people know you exist unless you tell them?
Why Social Media Works?
Social media works because it’s easily accessible and nearly everyone today has a smart phone which can allow them to get online in a matter of seconds… and buy things within seconds too. It’s a way to show off what you have and to prove that you have what it takes to succeed as well as incentifying buyers with great campaigns and more. Social media also allows you to reach people locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally. If you understand and know the demographics and characteristics of your target audience, you’ll be able to personalize your brand by making new messages to resonate with that audience more appropriately (and bring them into your world to show them what you can offer them and why it’s better than others). You need to also make sure that you use marketing well within your team too, so if you have a team of staff, you need to make sure your team is continually learning and keeping up to date with social media but also just digital marketing in general. (If this is something you need to delve into further you could look at Norwich University.)
Why Do Smaller Brands Need It?
It can help you get off the ground because of the awareness it brings. In addition to that it can help:
- Build strong customer relationships. Social media is not just about brands connecting with their customers and being able to speak with them, replying to comments and answering questions is also required.
- Share your expertise! Social media gives you an opportunity to talk about what you do and how to inspire others to do the same as well as showing that you are capable.
- Increase your visibility – anyone anywhere can see you when you’re online and this is vital.
- Educate yourself – you can learn more about your industry to get on top of it and as well as responding to trends and changing how you do things to make things run smoother.
- Connect anytime and anywhere, you could be on a bus or train and connect with your customers, there are always ways to stay connected which, in theory, should save you time and money.
There are plenty of guides to help you through. Social media contains many areas including branding, content marketing, etc. and you might feel that you need extra help and that’s okay. You can’t do it all. The fundamental purpose of your marketing is to build a brand and increase a brand’s visibility. As well as being able to promote your business in a fun and intriguing way. You want to be appealing and make people come back for more and that’s no easy task. If you don’t know who you’re appealing to then you won’t be able to create the content for them. You may end up feeling lost so be sure to do your market research and create a plan that works for you easily and effectively.
Don’t be scared about not doing it right or trying to be perfect, look at getting someone experienced in to help you, there is no reason to struggle.
Realizing the potential of social media will help you in the first step of your journey as an SME.
Start today and work for tomorrow.