If you’ve been marketing your business online, then you already know that social media is an excellent way to grow your reach and connect with your target audience. Social media marketing can also be an effective lead generation tool, introducing people to your products and services and bringing buyers to your site. According to the PwC Global Consumer Insights survey, 37% of consumers find their purchasing inspiration through social networks.

However, social media is only as valuable to your growth as the effort that you put into it. There are some compelling reasons to spend more time and attention on social media as a critical part of your content marketing strategy.

Building Brand Awareness

Breaking into the marketplace isn’t easy for any brand, but social media makes it much easier to build awareness quickly. Whether you’re an established business or a brand new startup, leveraging your social media accounts is a great way to make people aware of who you are and what you offer.

You can convey your brand’s message and shape its image through your profiles and the content that you share. From your logo and avatar to the material that you post, you can weave in your visual branding elements to make your business easily identifiable.

Connecting and Engaging

One of the best aspects of social media is the ability to connect and engage directly with your target audience. Through your comments to followers and responses to their questions and messages, you can build your reputation as a brand that cares for its customers.

It gives you the opportunity to show followers that you’re paying attention to them, you’re hearing their concerns, and you’re ready to answer their questions. Engaging in a friendly and professional way influences people’s perceptions of your company and products.

Easy on the Budget

If you’re working with a tight marketing budget, you need practical ways to keep your costs down. With the right content, social media gives you a great return on your investment. While you can run paid ad campaigns on sites like Facebook and Instagram, you can also share content for free.

You can grow your reach on social sites and get your brand in front of more eyes without paying for ads or creating pricey campaigns. It’s also a great way to send traffic to your site, which boosts lead generation and can increase your sales.

Demonstrating Your Authority

With so many businesses and products to choose from today, consumers are drawn to brands that have authority in their field. When you use social media to share your best content and interact with your audience, you can display your expert knowledge and build trust.

Consistently posting high-quality content boosts your reputation as a trustworthy and valuable follow. When your audience believes in your authority and views you as a reliable source of information, they’ll keep coming back.

No business can afford not to utilize social media for content marketing today. Not only is it a budget-friendly way to advertise, it helps you build a stronger relationship with your customers. Show your brand’s personality and let your followers know that you care by keeping your social media accounts current and active.

Need to know more about how to leverage social media to grow your small business? Contact us today.