Social media is everywhere in the modern world, and the Covid-19 pandemic has increased our reliance on it even more during lockdowns and quarantines. Now more than ever, a social media presence is an absolute necessity for any business. Using social media to grow your business can seem like a daunting task, especially when you compare your new social media page against the enormous followings of well-established companies who run slick social media accounts with the help of marketing teams.

Thankfully, there are a few simple ways to truly maximise your business’s social media impact to gain a following, increase brand awareness, and convert sales. Here’s how to use social media for business:

1. Generate Leads

One of the great things about social media is that you can direct content to certain people. Instead of renting a billboard that will be seen by plenty of people who will have no interest in your business because it just isn’t what they’re looking for, you can use social media to get your content straight to the people who are interested in it. Use hashtags and keywords as well as strategic posting within specific groups to make sure that potential customers see your content. This can generate leads and potential sales much more effectively than just advertising to a broad community that has a wide range of different needs and concerns. Use online communities to find genuinely interested customers and create meaningful leads!

2. Create Brand Awareness

You’ve started your new business, but how will anybody know who you are? One of the greatest strengths of social media is its ability to create and grow brand awareness. Use your social media to let people know who you are and what you do. This can generate sales and leads by just putting your business out there. Once people know who you are, you will start to spring to mind once they need something your business provides. This means that your social media doesn’t have to sell all the time; in fact, it’s better if you don’t. Just talking about the subject that your business relates to, and adding value to those communities, makes sure people remember your business when they need it. As we’ve mentioned already, it will generate leads and sales.

3. Watch the competition

You aren’t the only business on social media- your competitors are there too. While this can be a challenge, it is also an opportunity. Stay up to date with what your competitors are posting by following them on social media. Knowledge is power, and if your competitor has a clever promotion, you need to know about it. On the other hand, keeping a close eye on your competitor may expose an opportunity, such as a poorly designed product that you could improve on. Just make sure you don’t copy or steal ideas, nobody likes a cheat.

4. Create a Community

There’s a saying we love that goes, “don’t sell the sausage, sell the sizzle”, and it applies to social media. Use your social media to grow your business by fostering community and lifestyle. Have you ever noticed how perfume advertisements never talk about the scent? These ads are using a clever trick that you can emulate. They create an aesthetic that people want to be a part of. People don’t want a Rolex watch to tell the time; our phones do that job nowadays. People generally want a Rolex so that they can be a person who owns a Rolex. Use your social media to highlight the great things people can do with your products or achieve with your services. Has someone famous used your product? Use that opportunity! You can use your socials to create an aesthetic around a product that can be just as appealing as the product itself, generating leads and converting sales.

5. Tell Your Story

Large corporations and powerful businesses have plenty of money and large marketing budgets, but play your social media cards right, and this can become an advantage. Younger generations are increasingly disillusioned with large, faceless corporations. Instead, they tend to favour more authentic businesses that aren’t just there to take your money but instead offer real and sincere value. Social media presents an opportunity to personally tell potential customers who you are and why your business does what it does. Many business ideas already come from a sincere place. It may be as simple as earning enough to send your daughter to a good school or pursuing your passion for surfboard building. Whatever it is, there’s a good chance that yours is a genuine story that customers can connect with and feel good about supporting (by hiring your services or buying your products).

6. Foster loyal customers

Loyal customers are incredibly valuable. They may return to purchase again and offer free marketing when they rave about you to their friends. Social media can and should be used to build a loyal customer base. Responding to customer reviews, deftly managing complaints, thanking customers for their purchase – and being authentic while doing it –  increases the likelihood that they will be willing to give you a chance, or even a second chance if their first experience with your business wasn’t ideal. All these things were true before social media, but the publicity of social media means that you can be seen doing these things by potential customers, an invaluable way for people to see that you’re a genuine business, doing your genuine best to provide the greatest service possible.

Social media is an extraordinarily powerful tool for business. Investing effort in these strategies is a proven way of strengthening your business and helping you grow.