How Even Small Businesses Benefit From Social Media Optimization
According to recent surveys, nearly eight in ten small businesses have problems executing their marketing strategies. Simply having a strategy in place is not enough- for it to be effective, it must be implemented properly. More small businesses are coming to view the Internet as a suitable marketing medium. In particular, social media offers businesses huge marketing opportunities. Many companies have found social media optimization, or SMO, quite effective.
SMO makes use of social networking Web sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Digg to drive traffic to a business Web site. There are many benefits to doing this and improving Web site traffic, increasing brand visibility, making the business more accessible, and achieving higher page ranks are the main ones. The best part is that all of this comes at a cost much less than traditional marketing techniques.
Cost alone should not be the reason a business uses SMO. One of the most visible investments is the return on this cost, also referred to as return on investment (ROI). There is no reason to spend a penny on a method that does not generate a decent return. Small businesses have small budgets, making ROI even more important. A properly planned and well-executed SMO plan provides better conversion rates than many other Web techniques, due to its targeted approach.
The word “social” in social media is there for a reason- this platform is about people. The Internet should not be viewed as a large pool of people, but as a continuous stream of visitors to the business Web site. With social media, businesses channel the stream and convert the visitors into customers. By interacting with an increasing number of people on a daily basis, the business has a greater chance of getting new customers.
New customers are great, but what about the existing ones? SMO has been shown to be the best way for most companies to stay in touch with current customers. A customer means everything to a business and retaining an existing one by building loyalty through special deals and offers is important. Businesses can use SMO to interact with existing customers and keep them engaged. Not only should these techniques help retain those customers, they can lead to new referrals from these individuals.
With social networks, businesses can receive direct feedback from their target audience. Too often, businesses only hear from disgruntled customers. Though this can help owners learn from mistakes and prevent the problem from occurring again, it can also be very disheartening. Receiving some kudos from members of social media networks is a nice alternative. If the customer agrees, a compliment may be converted to a testimonial.
The basic features of social networks do not cost anything, making social media optimization a feasible way for the smallest business to increase its presence. If the company designates an individual to manage the relevant networks, the endeavor should begin paying off quickly. Any small business mulling over social media strategies should take the next step because wasted time is lost money.
