Social Media As A Marketing Tool For Small Businesses

Businesses are embracing social media as a means to promote their brands and engage with customers. And this is no surprise given that the majority of potential clients are already spending hours a day on these platforms.

With 1.415 billion users, Facebook is a dominant force globally and remains a key target for businesses and brands. But when it comes to sharing content and being creative, platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Vine are all capable of offering their own advantages.

Launch Pad

Perhaps the most important asset of the social media world is that it offers small businesses and start-ups a launch pad from which they can catapult themselves into a crowded marketplace without having to rely on traditional avenues.

For example, rather than having to rely on securing a good search ranking in Google or paying for sponsored slots at the top of SERPs, a company can bypass this altogether and use Facebook or Twitter to gain traction and boost site traffic.

Today it is possible to generate a social media following and then convert this into success in other parts of the digital realm, where once such an approach simply was not feasible. To a degree it has democratised the web, allowing quality content to be shared and reach as many people as possible through word of mouth and this is something that small businesses and start-ups are particularly well positioned to use to their benefit.

Securing Success

Of course it is not merely enough to create compelling content for social media and secure all of the shares, likes and follows that ensue. Businesses also have to follow through with the promise of turning a high profile social presence to one that benefits them in terms of sales. And the only way to achieve this is to make sure that your website is up to the same standard.

Using companies such as launch your business who offer webdesign in Bristol can enable companies to get the help they need to appeal to customers at a point when the brand of the organisation is just being developed. Website design in Bristol and other regions will enhance the prospects of any firm.

When people click through from a post on social media and land on a business’ site, it takes a lot of work to make sure that they do not leave almost instantly. And mobile optimisation is a crucial part of preventing this, since almost half of Facebook’s users alone only ever access the platform from their smartphone or tablet.

Responsive web design allows a site to adapt automatically to be used on whatever device a visitor happens to be harnessing, whether a desktop PC or a portable gadget with a touchscreen display. And rather than keeping a mobile site separate from the main domain, even small businesses can afford to cater to mobile customers with this modern approach to design.

So with all the opportunities posed by social media, it is important not to forget that the foundations upon which long term online success are built lie elsewhere.