All the posts. All the planning. All the comments, stories and DMs.
It begs the question: is social media really worth it — especially for time-pressed small businesses?
I can answer — without hesitation — that it absolutely is.
And I say that not just because I’m a social media strategist (I promise!), but because I’ve personally seen how a strong social media presence can take a small business to a whole new level.
Attracting new customers. Building customer loyalty. Increasing sales across the board.
Not convinced?
Then this is the article for you, my friend!
Here are four reasons why there’s never been a better time than right now to step up your social media game.
Reason #1: More of your target audience is on social media than ever before.
Let’s start with the most obvious — if your target audience involves humans, chances are, they’re on social media!
According to the latest Kepios / DataReportal Digital Global Statshot Report, 60% of the global population — 4.8 billion people — are now active on at least one social media platform.
In fact, of all time spent on the internet (an average of six hours & 35 minutes per person per day), more than one-third of that time is spent on social media (an average of two hours & 24 minutes per day).
And it’s not just “the kids” — nearly 40% of Facebook’s audience in Canada is over the age of 45, and it’s the favourite platform of both Boomers and Gen X.
So if you’ve been holding back on social media by telling yourself your audience isn’t there, it’s definitely time to re-evaluate.
Reason #2: More people than ever are on social media to shop.
Social media shopping — i.e., social commerce — has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, with Instagram Shopping, Facebook Shops and TikTok Shops all leading the charge.
No websites. No external links. The entire shopping experience — from product discovery to checkout — takes place right in the app.
So who exactly is shopping this way?
According to the Hubspot / Brandwatch 2023 Global Social Media Trends Report, Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X are all fans, with one in five having bought a product directly in a social media app in the last three months.
As for social media users who aren’t buying directly in the app (yet)? Well, they’re on social media to shop, too!
In fact, every age demographic lists “find new products to buy” as one of their top 10 reasons for going on social media in the first place (with those age 55-64 ranking it the highest at #4).
Reason #3: Social media searches are becoming more popular than traditional search engines for younger generations.
TikTok and Instagram rivalling Google Search — how could this be?!
But it’s true — and Google has taken notice.
As Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google senior vice president, said at a technology conference last year:
“In our studies, something like almost 40 percent of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram.”
Why the shift? As one Gen Z-er, who regularly uses TikTok to find new restaurants, told the New York Times:
“On TikTok, you see how the person actually felt about where they ate…a long-winded written review of a restaurant can’t capture its ambience, food and drinks like a bite-size clip can.”
So what does this mean for small businesses on social media?
Some key takeaways:
- Create more social media content (i.e., videos) that “shows” rather than “tells”
- Use search-friendly keywords in your social media bios and posts
- Use hashtags that are relevant for your niche
- Make sure your username is easy to search for and consistent across platforms
Reason #4: Great customer service on social media increasingly translates to more sales.
Responding in a timely manner to comments and private messages — and providing great customer service on social media — can yield a ton of rewards for your business.
Whether you’re answering a question, gathering feedback or offering support after a purchase, messaging with your audience can help increase customer satisfaction and reduce friction along the path to purchase
Not only is responding to comments and messages a fantastic way to build trust and rapport with potential customers, but your customers increasingly expect it, too.
According to an April 2023 Khoros Survey, over 65% of social media users across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter expect a response from brands on social media to their private messages and comments.
Furthermore, for social media comments and messages that involve a complaint, 55% of Instagram users surveyed said they expect brands to respond in less than three hours.
And what happens if customers don’t get the timely response they’re looking for?
In the same survey, nearly 40% of Instagram users and 30% of Facebook users said that they would discourage friends and family from supporting a brand due to poor message response time.
Yikes.
But it’s not all doom and gloom: Remember, every interaction you have with your customers — whether online or in store — is a chance to build trust, provide education on your products and services, and move them one step closer to purchase.
Once you start to view responding to messages as an opportunity rather than a chore, everything else will fall into place.
(And taking advantage of automated responses on Facebook and Instagram is a great way to ease your workload!)
Ready to step up your social media game?
These are just some of the compelling reasons to step up your social media game, but there are so many more!
From getting discovered by new audiences and boosting your sales to increasing top of mind awareness and humanizing your brand, a strong social media presence can open up a world of possibilities for your business.
Need help putting it all together into a cohesive social media plan? That’s my specialty! Here are just some of the ways we can work together.
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