03 Dec 2015
Four reasons to add social media to your marketing plan
The use of social media in business has rocketed over the last few years due to it being such a great way to communicate with a large audience. If you’re not an active user you could be missing out on vital opportunities to communicate with your clients.
1. The easy way to reach a wide audience
Social media accounts are free and are simple to set up. All you require is an email address and ideas on what to post. With a constantly expanding user base (there are 38 million active social media accounts in the UK), and with the average time spent on social media increasing (2 hours and 13 minutes per day), embracing this way of marketing will allow you to stand alongside bigger businesses and share news and knowledge from your firm.
2. Be recognised as an expert in your field
Adding posts to your social media channels allows you to create an online personality and establish a first impression for your brand. For businesses with a technical background, such as accountancy, this can be very beneficial - developing a knowledgeable voice will aid your reputation as a trusted company. An example of how to achieve this is to post technical content and links to news articles. This shows that you are up-to-date on the latest developments in the industry and would not refer to out-of-date information when communicating with clients. When you read articles online, there’s often an option to share to your social media profile – an easy way to divulge content with your followers.
Don’t forget, your digital presence is like meeting someone for the first time - but in an online environment. What do you want your contacts to think about your company? If you are approachable, friendly and outgoing on social media, they will be more at ease and will be more likely to return to you in the future.
3. Social media as a customer service tool
In business, nothing matters more than your reputation. Social media allows you to connect with your clients and contacts outside of your office whilst, mostly importantly, giving them a comfortable choice in how to communicate with you. Whether commenting on a news article you have tweeted, retweeting an informative fact or giving your firm some feedback, it is engagement your company may not have received previously. While complaints are always an upsetting occurrence, using social media to respond in a timely and useful manner will often be the detail that is remembered when the incident is reflected upon.
4. Improved website traffic
Your website is the place that reflects your firm’s brand and offering, so why not encourage more people to visit? If your website contains helpful resources, you should communicate this to your audience to enable them to use your website as a financial hub of information. While they are on your website, they can discover more information about your firm and the services that you offer.
Linking to your website can also help improve your search engine optimisation, to aid you in climbing towards the top of search engines such as Google and Bing. Search engines are constantly developing to make sure the best and most relevant results are being found, and social media is now being used to find quality content that users are engaging with. Creating and sharing information and links to your website on these platforms will send a signal to search engines that people like what you are saying, providing a credible reason as to why your site should be ranked higher than competitors’ sites.
As we progress further into the digital age, social media is becoming an increasingly essential tool for companies to utilise within their everyday business activities. Please contact us for advice on how to implement social media strategies.
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