We know huge corporations, from McDonald’s and KFC’s to top-level businesses like General Motors and Walmart. We can think of their work in social media: accurate content plan, journalists, photographers, video operators, analytics and demand research. And all we can do is be afraid. What can those who are only not ready to approach the market on such a gigantic scale, but cannot even afford to hire more than one SMM-manager? Do we even need social networks for small businesses? Why spend money and time on SMM, when you can simply “leak” the entire budget in advertising or purchase of goods?
What do we know about SMM
Who would have thought, but even our grandparents have heard about social networks. Two facts are enough to know about social networks: they are everywhere, and they influence values, the needs of the audience, and even the economy. And of course, any entrepreneur knows about social networks. But the reality is that small business leaders have doubts about the modern trends of Internet culture. It may be correct from some side – everything should be treated critically. But let’s look back ten years when there were no social networks.
If you represent a small business and want to show yourself to the world, you had to do the following:
- Look for themed media (newspapers, television, and others are not the cheapest options).
- Buy outdoor advertising
- Hire a specialist to create marketing materials
- Hire a public relations specialist to write and distribute press releases
- Paying money for all this.
- Doing all this all the time, time after time.
- And do it all almost blindly if you don’t have analysts and demand researchers…
Indeed, put yourself in the place of an entrepreneur of the 2000s, and realize how difficult it was to enter the market. Today, these actions do not look mandatory, but then without advertising and appropriate specialists would have learned about you only from friends and acquaintances.
How have social networks changed the marketing paradigm?
Social networks today are a combination of sales, marketing, PR and image advertising. Yes, not only advertising, but also PR, and branding, and sales. But what is most remarkable in social networks – there is no need to get into the minds of the audience, it is allowed to simply communicate.
Make your social page your own media…
Using online communication methods for small businesses can help you grow locally and globally depending on your goals. 44 percent of local companies say their brand recognition depends on social media, while another 41 percent believe their income depends on social media. What does it really mean? Of course, the fact that social networks are really fully integrated into our lives, but more importantly, we don’t have to make a local office or a diner from a social page. Do not limit yourself to marketing. This is the biggest fundamental mistake of many entrepreneurs (click to check that fact). Social networks are not traditional advertising tools. It is its more “humane” option, and therefore more complex and multifaceted. Communicate, entertain, sell, teach, PR and PR of others – social networks give creative freedom. If you think bigger, the combination of PR on social networks and traditional advertising will expand your business much further than you would expect.
At the end of the day – go to the subway, to the store, to the market, and see how many people are looking at smartphone screens. You have the opportunity to capture their attention as they pass by.
