Small businesses can’t ignore social media

Social media is a major communication channel in modern culture. Unfortunately, some small businesses are slow to promote themselves across Facebook, Twitter or other popular sites.

As a security dealer, you can benefit from the speed and direct engagement social media provides. You may use new media options for marketing, customer support and public communication.

“A social media audience shares your name for you.”

Create an online presence

Nobody uses the phone book anymore. When a modern consumer needs a product or service, he or she will search for it online. You want your business to be the first option that comes up when they type “security dealer” or “alarm company” into a search engine.

Many companies employ numerous online tactics to improve their search rankings. Businesses put certain keywords on their websites or online blogs, they buy paid advertisements and conduct online research. These strategies involve a commitment of time and money. Social media is a cost-effective way of promoting your business online.

Most social pages are free to set up. You can put some money toward promoting pages further, but you can start exploring social media options for free. The best part is that in effective social media campaigns, the audience shares your name for you. The more people talk about you, the better your search ranking.

Appeal to younger audiences

Business 2 Community shared the results of a Goldman Sachs survey that found 36 percent of Millennials​ – people born between 1980 and 2000 – trust a company more if it has a social media page. It’s getting to a point where consumers not only prefer social sources of information, they rely on them.

A company that doesn’t take advantage of technology won’t appear competitive. Not only should you promote your services on social media, you should tout other modern features you offer. Your social media campaigns would be wise to advertise convenience features like automatic alarm billing options and mobile tools.

Provide mobile materials

Modern consumers like to use mobile devices for their computing needs. Smart Insights recently reported more people use smartphones and tablets to access online materials than laptops or desktop devices. Every bit of online content your company’s marketing team publishes should be mobile capable.

It can be difficult to redesign a website for mobile functionality. Social media pages can be a convenient first step in a campaign designed for smartphones and iPads. Most people use social messaging tools on their handheld instruments, they establish alerts for status updates and check for social news at all times of the day. Social media company content puts your business’s information right in the palm of your customers’ hands.

You should also encourage the use of mobile devices in your office. Mobile capable security business software provides business solutions for all your employees, even your field technicians. Then the people who are out talking with your customers can demonstrate your social materials during remote interactions.

Facebook has features specifically for small businesses. Facebook has features specifically for small businesses.

Modern customer support tools

Social media companies are aware of how small business can profit from their services, and they adapt to meet demand. Small Business Trends detailed the new small-business focused updates to Facebook pages.

You can now design a Facebook profile that reflects your company brand. You can also add buttons to your page that allow a customer to contact you directly. Modern consumers may request customer service or buy a product using social media tools.

Some customers like to contact businesses privately, while others publicly post questions or concerns. If you are not paying attention to social media for support, a problem may escalate without your involvement or a query may go unanswered.

Promote customer-based marketing

Customers discuss your business online. People go on social media to talk about satisfaction with a service, show pictures of purchases and voice concerns about companies.

People are more likely to trust recommendations from their peers than company marketing. Nielsen reported 70 percent of global consumers trust online reviews. If you are aware of every positive post your customer makes on social media, you can turn the materials into advertising content.

Having a social media account allows you to share posts you like. You can also connect satisfied customers into a single network. Social media promotes variety. You should encourage your customers and employees to create positive messages using text, pictures and videos so you can share them on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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