There’s no question on the influence that social media has on society today. Yet many businesses still remain unsure whether it’s right for them, and whether they need a social media presence.

For the majority of businesses, being on social media can add a level of credibility and boost potential exposure and brand awareness.

But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Here are some of the most compelling reasons why you need to invest in social media:

1. Social media posts drive targeted traffic

Whatever your industry and audience, a substantial amount of your customers and leads use social media. Having access to all of those customers can help you boost traffic, particularly to your website. It provides an opportunity for the public to find your web content and click through to your site. But it won’t just boost your traffic numbers – it’ll bring in the type of visitors you want to attract.

2. Social media compliments advertising

Research shows that 81% of consumers research a business on the internet before buying. Appeal to your potential customers by updating your page with interesting, quality content.

3. Social media helps you understand your audience

By reading your customer base’s posts and status updates, you can gain insights into their daily lives and consumer behaviours, answering questions such as:

• Do they have particular interests/hobbies?
• What products are they buying and why?
• What kinds of posts do they like to share?

These insights have obvious marketing benefits. By understanding your customers, you can create better social media content and more compelling posts, leading to more traffic. But the benefits can go beyond marketing, helping you identify customer pain points and improve sales conversions.

4. You can build a relationship with your audience

When you stop seeing social media as a way to pitch your customers but as a way to connect with them, it can transform your brand. You can help your audience by entertaining and informing them with relevant content and forming bonds over shared interests.

Overtime, you can become more than a brand – part of a community. That comes with serious ROI. If you’re following social media marketing best practices, you’ll get lots of exposure. That exposure brings in new leads.

5. Social media marketing will get you more sales

Did you know that 70% of B2C marketers have acquired customers through Facebook? Or that 84% of CEOs say they use social media to help make purchasing decisions?

You can influence customer buying decisions, by answering customer questions and addressing pain points, or providing incentive with promotions.

6. The ROI on social media advertising is unbeatable

By boosting the right social media posts, you can bring in traffic at a fraction of the cost of Google ads.

With boosted posts, you can have a lot more control over when your message gets amplified. This means you can spend your advertising budget more strategically by focusing on your best posts. Targeted boosted posts can send traffic to your site for as little as 10p per click, a fraction of the price of Google AdWords.

So if you haven’t already, get started now!

(MORE: 30 quick social media content ideas)

If you’re currently active on social media for your business, that’s great.

Do you want to make it more effective?

I provide bespoke training specific to each business I work with, providing them with content ideas that get the highest engagement, build the most trust and ultimately generate more leads.

Find out more here