Think Social Media Won’t Change Your Business? Think Again.

Have you tapped into just how powerful a tool social media marketing can be? It’s not entirely hyperbole to say that if you’re not taking advantage of the amazing marketing asset social media is in the present, you’re running the risk of getting left in the dust by your competition. And we’re not just talking about Facebook and Twitter. Every day, more and more social media applications are popping up, for computers, for phones, and for mobile devices. Is the current social media sphere somewhat disorganized as a result? Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore the impact social media is having on how businesses promote themselves, their brands, and their deliverables on the Internet. Social media is evolving, and you better be evolving along with it. How can social media change how you do business? Here are four examples of the ways social media is changing business in the present.

1) Social media is social.

Businesses are now interacting with their customers in ways that go beyond the money exchange, social media influences the perception of trust. Who can you trust more, the business that’s silent online or the one that is always answering customer questions on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere?

2) Social media is putting human faces on businesses.

As more people are buying online and interacting with companies online, you’d think that businesses would become faceless entities that are essentially virtual. But social media has given businesses a way to present themselves as even more real, more human by providing a new way to interact with a customer base that may be located a world away.

3. Social media facilitates customer communication and inspires customer loyalty.

It’s not hard to see why a customer who has had their questions answered and been given information of value by a company will be more loyal to that company. People like to think they are important. Worthwhile. Social media helps foster the kind of interaction that keeps customers happy and consequently coming back again and again.

4. Social media is killing direct advertising

Today’s customer wants a bonus with every advertising message that reaches their eyes and ears, or they’re not going to think about converting. How often are contact forms and ebook downloads paired? There’s a good reason for that. Social media offers businesses more ways to give away those bonuses that customers can’t get enough of – the bonuses that inspire trust, brand loyalty, and conversions.

How are you adapting to the ever-changing social media sphere?

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