The Importance of Social Media Marketing

Posted in Marketing Blogs

We’ve been asked over and over again by small business owners whether or not they should get involved with this recent social media marketing frenzy. The answer is always the same: Yes, and for several important reasons.

Let me begin by stating that social media marketing is becoming a necessity for all types of businesses. It’s no longer a question of whether or not to get involved with the game, but “how” to get involved.  The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business tracked the relationship between social media and small businesses and found that the technology adoption rates in the U.S. have doubled in the past year from 12% to 24%. The study further discovered that one in five small business owners are incorporating social media into their business plans moving
forward.

In fact, there is a positive impression surrounding social media, as 45% of surveyed respondents believe their social media initiatives will pay off financially in 12 months or less.

Businesses are primarily engaging in social media through company pages (75%) on Facebook and LinkedIn, with about 69% of them going beyond just establishing pages, but also posting status updates. What’s especially intriguing is that a much smaller percentage of respondents — just 16% — are using Twitter as a customer service channel. However, Twitter should not be negatively portrayed with this lone statistic. Twitter offers several other benefits that make it an essential part of online marketing. It is a great way to interact more directly with followers and get into the minds of your target audience, along with countless other advantages.

Why is social media so important to small businesses?

First and foremost, today’s small business owners need to use every avenue available to drive sales, and that includes social media marketing.

It helps level the playing field between small businesses and giant corporations. Although, keeping up with social media at its rapid pace can be a challenge. Small companies often don’t have the staff or strategy to efficiently implement social media. Jenny Stephenson, a social networking specialist at Paramore Redd Online Marketing in Nashville, Tenseness states, “It’s better not to participate in social media than to participate but do a terrible job.”   Though with the right approach, even a lone individual can become a dominant player in the social media game.

If you’re a small business owner looking to get started, shoot us an email and tell us about your business! We are working on projects with small and medium-sized businesses from coast to coast.