A Love Letter To Social Media

Ode To Social Media

Roses are red, violets are blue,

Started using your services, my business grew.

Ah yes, it’s true. There’s no denying that social media is incredibly valuable for businesses, both big and small. Although it’s a new marketing technique, some would argue that social marketing is one of the most effective.
In an article entitled The Developing Role of Social Media in the Modern Business World, published recently on Forbes.com, Jessica Bosari notes that “85% of all businesses that have a dedicated social media platform as part of their marketing strategy reported an increase in market exposure.” Its effectiveness is just one of the many reasons we love social media.

Use Social Media To Improve Your Business

Time and again, we at Hivehouse Digital have advocated the importance of including social media in a marketing strategy. Why? Because we know it works! For those who may be a little more skeptical, here’s what we suggest:

Have Well-Managed Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn Accounts

Your customers are definitely using these sites, so the greater your presence is on each of them, the more beneficial it will be for your business. By continually updating your account profiles with valuable information and promotions, you’ll be more likely to attract both new and repeat customers for your products and services.

Play To Your Strengths

Use social media to present your company in a manner consistent with the purposes of your website. If you have a small, local company, make your community the focus of your platforms. Bring in the local audience by posting content of interest to those customers. If you’re a larger corporation, try to expand your regional or national audience by posting content of a broader scope. Know your company’s target audience, and market directly to them using social media.

Learn How To Use Social Media Wisely

The “Big Three” may seem similar, but they reach their audiences in very different ways. This may seem obvious, so bear with us.

Use your Facebook account to interact with your followers, to build your brand, to offer deals, and to market your products and services.

Twitter is similar to Facebook in that you can offer deals and market products with your account. Yet it’s different in one crucial way: the hashtag (#). Think of a hashtag as a search engine for Twitter. If you use the hashtag correctly, people who are searching for specific topics will stumble upon your Tweet, and therefore, your business.

LinkedIn is not only important to connect with potential leads in your target audience, but an important tool for talent acquisition. Make sure to showcase job openings and company culture. LinkedIn is also a great tool for your senior leadership team to use for thought leadership.

Why We Love Social Media

Still not entirely sure that skyrocketing social media use could be a key factor in helping you grow your business? Perhaps a few more compelling facts from Bosari’s article will convince you.

In addition to emphasizing social media’s value in increasing market exposure, Bosari also points out that “58% of businesses that have used social marketing for over 3 years reported an increase in sales over that period.” While we know that social media was not the sole reason for the increase in sales for these businesses, there’s no denying that it undoubtedly played a large role in producing such a surge.

We’re not the only ones who love social media. Quoting Bosari again, “94% of all businesses with a marketing department used social media as part of their marketing platform.” Yes, 94 percent! Do you really want to be part of the 6 percent that doesn’t utilize social media? We don’t think so.

And so, we’ve caught ourselves rambling on, but we can’t help it! We’re hopelessly in love.

Roses are red, violets are blue,

We at Hivehouse Digital would like to wish a Happy Valentine’s Day to you!