Five reasons your small business should engage through social media

Facebook, twitter, blogs, reviews, forums, online video… the web’s gone all social and interactive.

Amongst the legions of fans, followers and friends on social media sites across the web you’ll find your customers.

Do you know where they are, and what they’re saying about your industry, your business, your brand?

Connecting with people through social media can be a great way for your small business to add value and engage in positive, mutually beneficial dialogue with your customers.

From offering insight into consumers’ wants and needs, to pro-active product support to finding new business and referrals, social media channels have a lot of potential for smaller Irish businesses who choose to engage.

Here are just a few of the reasons we think it makes sense to explore the potential of social media for your business:

• With or without you: social media doesn’t go away when you ignore it. People are talking. The conversation is happening, whether you choose to get involved or not. Far better to be an influential player in the game than a spectator on the sidelines.
• Go where your customers are: instead of waiting for your customers to find you on your website, social media gives you a great opportunity to pro-actively take your brand to them where they choose to “hang out” online.
• Your finger on the pulse of your market: ever wondered how you could tweak your product or service offering to deliver more of what your customers really need? Social media lets you tap in to the collective wisdom of the crowd without costly market research and focus groups.
• Build reputation, authority and influence: by pro-actively answering people’s questions, solving problems and offering real value online you can quickly establish a positive perception of your brand in your field of expertise. The next time people need your product or service, guess who they’re going to think of first.
• A bit of personality goes a long way: people do business with people first. Social media gives you a great opportunity to let your customers get to know the personality behind the brand.