Did you know that over 50% of small businesses don’t use social media at all? Even more concerning is that an added 25% of small businesses don’t expect to ever add it. While adding another thing on to your plate as a small business owner might sound daunting, not tapping into social media means that you are leaving potential future clients, customers, and dollars on the table.

Here are 5 reasons why you might want to reconsider your stance on social media as a small business owner.

1. It creates brand recognition

People buy from brands and businesses they recognize. The more brand recognition you can generate, the better. Social media is an easy and effective way to increase your brand recognition. With a simple post on Facebook or Instagram, you are able to get your brand in front of people much quicker and easier than with traditional marketing. Social media also has the added bonus of getting people to look at your brand even when they aren’t actively thinking about your services or products.

Make sure that you make your brand clear and easy to identify on social media. Make sure your logo is easy to spot and not obscured in posts but don’t overwhelm people by plastering your logo everywhere. Make sure your profile picture is your logo and use your cover photo to expand on your logo and tell your brand story.

2. You can tell your brand story

People are more likely to buy from brands that they feel connected to and the easiest way to connect people to your brand is to tell your brand’s story. Share stories of people who use your product or service. Dive deep into how and why you started your business. Share the stories of people who work at your business. The more human connections people can make with your brand, the more likely they are to choose you over a competitor.

Social media is especially impactful for small businesses’ brand stories because they can usually connect the brand to the town they are in. People want to shop local. Tell them about you and why your small business loves your town!

3. It’s a great customer service tool

Have you ever reached out to a brand via tweet or Facebook message? Social media is a great extension of your customer service. People can easily leave a comment or message you to get an answer to their question or address their concern. As an added bonus for you, it can create a new customer acquisition funnel. The more people see you connecting with other people on social, the more likely they are to reach out to you.

4. You can direct more traffic to your site

Social media is a great way to send people directly to your site. While you should always be paying attention to search engine optimization, social media is a much faster way to get people to visit your business’s website.

You can create a content calendar with specific calls to action that drive people to the pages you want them to visit on your site. It’s a great way to diversify your inbound traffic and get more people to learn more about your business.

5. Establish yourself as an authority

One of the most underestimated uses of social media for small businesses is establishing yourself as an authority. No one knows more about your business than you. Act like it! Create posts that talk about your industry, explain why your services are better than others offered, give people an inside look at what your business is doing to better serve customers.

Social media can act as a valuable megaphone for your business. If you just don’t have time to manage another thing for your business, don’t worry! SimplyBuilt is here to help. Contact us today to talk about our full-service social media tools!