Today social networks, in many respects, surpass such online marketing tools as search engine optimization, contextual and banner advertising, and traditional advertising tools. What are the advantages of social media marketing for small business? Let’s find out.

1. Social media affects your company’s authority in search

Every day, social networks start to play an increasing role in Google search results. It turns out that search engines use fragments of actions on social media in order to determine the relevancy and level of authority of your site. That is, the more people on social media "vote" for your content, the higher position it takes in search results.

2. You will be able to closely monitor your brand image

If we talk about ranking in search engines, an active presence of your brand on social networks can significantly affect your Google ranking performance and improve the reputation of the company.

3. User content is more important than ever

Wondering how social media can help your business? According to eMarketer, 65% of users aged 18-24 years when buying a certain product trust information about the brand found on the Internet. And according to eConsultancy, two-thirds of consumers use search engines when deciding to buy goods. You will probably agree that the chance that your target audience belongs to one of these groups is extremely high. SM is a great way to get that desired user content and address it to the group of people that obviously factors it in when making a purchase online.

4. You will strengthen your influence in the industry

You can use social networks in order to connect with the those who can contribute to the development of your business. Network with other people, look for opportunities for a dialogue, find event sponsors etc. It is SM that can give you the influence and visible presence necessary to be recognized. This is especially important if your competitors have not yet taken a winning stance.

5. Consumers of other companies are present on SM

The analysis of the presence of competitor companies on social networks will benefit you. Share content with them, build relationships, interact, create special content for the target audience, as this will enable you to win new customers with whom you can build a partnership, get recommendations and discover a whole new circle of people to whom you can sell your products or services.

6. Effective social media marketing can increase your overall online presence

Let us divide the importance of market coverage for your company. A coverage means that all your fans and readers have their own fans and readers. Thus, if one of your Twitter readers have more than one hundred readers, then when you send them a tweet with a link to your blog entry, the coverage of your blog and Twitter will increase by a hundred of these readers, many of whom have not even heard of you. Therefore, even if one of your Twitter readers is not your target audience, then there is still a chance that one in a hundred of its readers is either already your fan or will be one in the future.

7. Looking for clients through SM is much cheaper

Let us say that your monthly investments in social networks bring you one new customer per month for your “papers written for you” online writing service. Compare these costs with other methods that you use to acquire the same single client. For example, the cost of acquiring a single customer via email marketing is much higher than the cost of acquiring new people through SM. For email marketing, you need special software, personnel for its maintenance and a lot of man-hours to create content. At the same time, for a social media marketing strategy, you do not need special equipment and large investments spending only a few man-hours a week.

8. SM increases the effectiveness of other marketing activities

Even if you do not rely heavily on the effectiveness of SM when it comes to acquiring new customers, they can still be used to improve the effectiveness of the other marketing activities you undertake. SM helps in all spheres: they improve your positions in search results, strengthen the influence newsletters, blog publications, various events online and offline.

9. By the time you are ready, it may be too late

Well, maybe you are not yet ready to use the power of FB or Instagram. However, it would be unreasonable to believe that your potential audience does not use them or will not use them in the future.

10. Users on SM, who you did not seriously consider before, can become your target audience.

People change over time. The audience on social networks also goes through changes in their lives: new jobs, new hobbies, new acquaintances, changing religious or political views, marriage, divorce, retirement – you get the idea, right?

Moreover, your company itself can change. You can begin to offer new services or expand the product line, find new opportunities in the niche you are occupying, or you will succeed in using social media to the extent that you will nurture a new generation that needs your products or services.

About Nicolas Walker

Nicolas Walker is a freelance writer at EduBirdie and an author of popular books. He has his own blog, where he writes about productivity, lifehacks, and about the ways on how to make work rather smarter, not harder. Most of all, Nicolas loves traveling and believes that job fills the pocket, but adventures fill the soul.