Why Social Media is a Necessary Evil for your Business
The best ways to reach the best audience
Social media has undeniably taken over the way that people communicate. Gone are the days of sending a letter or even an email to a friend to communicate online. While more traditional forms of communication are absolutely still existent – and used, – it is becoming increasingly important for a business to be able to reach their consumers through more visible methods. An email blast about a new product is one thing, but how impactful is it, really?
Why do you need it?
Social media marketing is the new way of the industry. As Statista reports, there are almost 2 billion active users on Facebook alone, with Instagram and Twitter following behind at just over 600 million and 300 million each, respectively. When a company does or releases anything, good or bad, you hear about it, and you usually hear about it quickly. With that many users on each platform, businesses have a nearly endless audience to market to.
Word of mouth is especially pertinent on social media. When someone really likes something – or really, really doesn’t like something – they will let you know. Negative word about a company can spread like wildfire on social media, which can make or break your business.
When should you share?
Social media is a powerful tool for sharing new information with your audience and reminding them of events or opportunities that may have slipped their minds. Keeping a consistent presence is important, meaning that posts should be scheduled in advance to ensure that there is a schedule being maintained and the audience can assume when they should expect to see posts.
Typically, it is best to share on social media in the morning hours when people check their phones before starting their days, and during the afternoon lunch hour and the early evening, when time is opened up from schedules. Posts can only be effective when they are seen by a relevant audience, and you risk your posts getting lost in the clutter if they are posted too early in the morning or too late at night.
Your customers want to hear from you – while a weekly email or the occasional pamphlet in the mail get the job done, social media is the new way of the business. You can quickly and effectively (and cheaply) reach a huge number of people by using social media, so why wouldn’t you?