Blog post by: Sarah Schrader, Baer Performance Marketing’s Social Media & Creative Specialist
If you own a business, then just like a website, you should have at least one platform you are using for social media to reach out to current and potential customers. Here is why:
More Website Traffic
If you take a look at Google analytics on your website, there is a section specifically devoted to social media. Google gives importance to having a social media account attached to your website. So not only will it help to increase your SEO (search engine optimization) by having a Facebook page or similar social media profile, but having posts with content that links back to your website will also increase your web traffic.
For example, if you have a new blog post and post about it on Facebook with a direct link to read it on your blog, you will have created what is called a “referral link” to your website. A click on that link counts as a visit to your website and will show up as having a referral from Facebook under that social media section previously mentioned.
What makes it even better, is if your follower on social media finds the post content with the link to your website valuable, they will most likely share it with their friends. That could get you in front of a potential new customer, possibly a new follow on that social media and even another website visit if they also click the link. The more relevant the content you post on social media, the more likely this cycle is to occur.
Customer Relationship Management
The largest benefit of social media is maintaining an additional level in your customer relationship. A recent post on updates to social media mentioned that messages on social media pages are becoming increasingly important. Facebook has given evidence of this with the amount of work they have been putting into their Facebook Messenger service. Why is it becoming important? The ease of use in doing so and the desire for a quick response to customer questions has increased customer preference of using messages on social media over regular email.
In addition to the increased use of social messages, posting regularly to your page helps put you in front of your customer. It’s a reminder of you being there and ready for them when they need your product or service and a place for you to provide value to your customer. Providing them with value will also make your customer feel cared for.
Without talking too much about algorithms, content that is relevant is more likely to get clicks, likes and reactions and shares as mentioned earlier, which in turn will help put you in front of more of the people who follow you, because Facebook, Instagram, etc. feel others will want to see your content.
Going even further, responding or reacting to comments on your posts will help foster this new level of customer relationship. If you’ve ever had the happy, excited feeling inside when a person or brand you like responds in a comment or likes your comment, you know why. Responding makes the customer feel heard and cared for, which helps lead to brand loyalty!
Lastly, in talking about customer relationships via social media, having your hours, link to your website, a description and even reviews are all helpful for someone looking to gain a bit more information about your company.