When was the last time you were on Facebook? Instagram? LinkedIn? I think I’m on social media more than anyone I know.
A pretty surreal figure has been released by Social Media News which shows that in April 2018, 60% of the Australian population is actively on Facebook – that’s around 15 million people. WHOA! If you really think about this figure, you’ll see how important social media can be for communication, businesses and reaching your target market.
From a personal perspective, the reason that people use platforms like Facebook is to interact with their friends, look at pictures and keep up to date with what’s happening. It’s the reason for its creation, to ‘value and create meaningful relationships’ – cue “Facebook Dating”. However, through evolution of our digital acceptance, Facebook has changed, and so with it, every social media platform out there. Being so popular, many people mistake social media as a trend, but the truth is, social media is a staple in our connection and culture that isn’t going away.
..the reason that people use platforms like Facebook is to interact with their friends, look at pictures and keep up to date with what’s happening. It’s the reason for its creation, to ‘value and create meaningful relationships’.
Why do you need social media for your business?
It gets you in front of your audience! You can’t drag your audience over to your destination, so you need to be where they are.
It can improve the reach of your brand to a quality audience at a very reasonable (if not free) cost.
You can promote sales, promotions, events…hang on, you can promote every aspect of your business to a huge audience in one place – remember that figure, 15 million!
You as a business are also reachable on social media, your audience can engage with you directly and you can converse with them instead of talking at them. Your consumer can stalk your business, check reviews and decide if they want to know more.
Social media is evolving quickly and is already driving sales in a big way. You may not even realise what you’ve been missing out on.
“Oh gosh, where do I start?” I hear you say… Grab a coffee.
Are your competitors on social media? Look at how they are engaging with their audience, what are they talking about, what do you like about their posts, what don’t you like? No one likes a copycat, but let it inspire you. While you’re at it, look up brands or businesses you love. Even if it is a completely different industry, they could be posting content that is relevant to you or your audience, or they could be following a strategy that could work for your business.
Posting images and status updates without purpose means a scattered feed without consistency. Remember when you first started your business and you created a business plan? Without it, it’s guesswork. The same goes for your social media strategy.
The power of social media is huge, and it can open the doors of success when used correctly. So why don’t you get cracking and finish writing that plan. Start your journey on social media the right way.
