Most small businesses either feel that social media marketing does not work very well for them or that it’s too late to start now.
If you have had these thoughts, it’s time to reconsider your position as social media marketing has proven to be THE most powerful way to expand and engage with your customers, especially if you are a small business owner.
Here’s why…
Social Media Marketing Is Efficient
While it may look simple, there’s actually a lot of things to do and learn when you are marketing on social media. Facebook Ad Manager can be very confusing to navigate initially but if you put your heart and focus on making small progress, you will find what works best for your business. At the heart of it all, marketing on a digital platform is not that much different from traditional platforms because you are still putting the message out there for your audience – but you will quickly realise that advertising on a digital platform is greatly efficient because you can target the audience you want to reach. You are not wasting money on showing your ads to people who are not interested. And you are in control of your budget with the freedom to start or stop at any time. It’s one of the most cheapest and effective advertising platform available.
You Learn About Your Audience
While it’s easy to think about ads all the time, in truth, you are given a great opportunity to interact with your audience to learn more about them. Through your interactions with them, you can gleam important information about their likes, dislikes and what appeals to them. If you an establish yourself as an authority about a particular subject, your users will trust your opinions.
You will also be able to develop an audience persona with the type of ads they like and have most interactions with so that you can plan your future campaigns. It’s also a great platform for you to send out ‘feelers’ if you have a new product or need feedback.
Tools like the Facebook pixel also allow you to see what types of people are clicking your content and whether or not they are converting or need to be retargeted with a new ad. Over time, you will gain a better sense of who your ideal customer is and how you can serve them. This information just isn’t available in traditional marketing models, certainly not for such a small investment.
Get Ahead of Your Competition
Let’s face it, with traditional marketing methods, your small business rarely has a chance against a large corporation’s budget and reach. On social media, however, the playing field is much more level. Your personal message and sincerity can really shine through and if your ad is really creative and funny, there’s the added possibility it may go ‘viral’, and that helps in your exposure.
When it comes to competing with other small businesses, your competitors may not be operating with a well-formed strategy. If you can plan and execute a true social media campaign, you still have the chance to stake your claim on whatever platform you choose.
At the end of the day, social media marketing is here to stay, regardless of your own thoughts and feelings about it. Why not take the opportunity to learn along the way and take advantage of it? It may be a steep learning curve, but start slow and make small adjustments along the way and you will see that it’s a wonderful way to achieve your marketing strategy without breaking the bank.