Reasons Why Social Media is able to Help Your Business

Social media websites were initially created purely for sharing and interacting with friends. So why the heck are there so many businesses flocking to be part of this in recent years? The answer is obvious – social media is able to help them gain a competitive advantage over rivals.

And this leads on to another tricky question: Why is social media able to help your business?

Read on to find out more.

1. That’s where the people are

Forward thinking marketers would definitely see the benefits of taking the plunge into social media. That’s where the people are! More than 250 million users are on Facebook, and Twitter is growing at lightning speed. According to Compete, Twitter jumped from 5,979,052 unique visitors in Jan 2009 to 22,997,148 in Jun 2009. Not to mention other big players like MySpace, YouTube and Flickr!

2. The people prefer word of mouth

Bombarded by ads every single day, consumers are getting more skeptical and desensitized.

Who would they trust? Whose words are more valuable?

Probably their friends, relatives and families! These are the people who would truly recommend good products that they have tried themselves. These are the average Joes with real problems that products are trying to solve; not celebrities with perfect bodies and great complexions.

This is why so many businesses are placing their bets on social media. It encourages word of mouth. Facebook tells you how many of your friends are fans of Blackberry Smart Phones. Twitter encourages your friends or people you know to retweet links that direct them straight to businesses’ websites. YouTube enables businesses to create videos that are buzz worthy enough to be passed on to millions.

With that, what more do I need to say?

3. It can get you a higher ROI

Many companies have enjoyed higher ROI with the help of social media marketing. Why? Because social media marketing generally requires little investment but the returns are substantial.