Happy Social Media Day!

Social media has evolved. It’s no longer confined to updates about your lunch or pictures of your family vacations, but has become a tool for marketing your business. And if you learn how to utilize the sites and tools properly, you could be on your way to generating some big business for your company. In fact, simply getting your business on social media puts you one foot ahead of all the competition that’s not. Here are 5 positive outcomes of utilizing social media to benefit your business!

#1 Expand your target audience

One of the greatest benefits that comes from having your business on social media is the exposure that it gives you. Everyone is on social media these days from teenage children to great-grandparents and if your business is partaking in some form of social media, then you are increasing your chances of being seen.

When you utilize social media, you are taking the opportunity to reach out to others who may not know about your business. It creates exposure.

#2 Grow your following

When you expand your audience, you are also increasing the chance of growing your business’s following. Before social media, the quickest way to grow your client base was through word-of-mouth. Social media takes that concept to the next level. You can instantly share thoughts with people all over the world in a matter of seconds, interacting with groups of people at one time.

It’s like upgrading from snail mail to e-mail. You only have to write one letter to send to hundreds of people. Same for social media – One post; thousands of people.

#3 Stay relevant

The decision to have your business on social media is also a decision to stay relevant. Many people turn to social media first when searching for a brand or a business, and when they can’t find one, they settle for the next. They either 1) assume that the business they were looking for has gone out of business, or 2) they are tired of searching and chose an easily accessible business.

Social media makes your brand accessible and relevant. Social media also allows for immediate updates; so, if you have a change in address, a new product, a new collaboration, an industry update, you can share it instantaneously. No wait.

#4 Humanize your brand

One huge and notable difference between businesses that are active on social media and those that are not is that those that interact seem more human. It is easy for your business to become just that – a business. But people can’t relate to a business or brand, just the people behind it.

Social media gives your business the opportunity to be more than just a name.

#5 Open COMMUNICATION

With humanization through social media comes open communications. Social media doesn’t just offer you exposure to old and new audiences, but gives you the chance to communicate and interact with everyone who shows interest in your business. This is a great way to build strong and lasting relationships with your clients.

The conversational aspect of social media also allows for your clients to share things they love about your business with you and with others.

When deciding on whether or not you should be utilizing social media for your business, create a simple pros and cons list and you will see the pros heavily outweigh the cons (if any). Even if you are not sure you really need to be on social media, could trying it out hurt? Why not give it a shot in honor of National Social Media Day? You may find the results surprising!