Using social media in business to drive growth

By / Published August 5, 2015 | 1:00 pm

The most important part of the sales process in a business is getting to establish relationships with customers or clients, social media can help you accomplish this more easily. Research shows that 8 out of 10 small and mid-size businesses use social media in business to drive business growth.

Social media experts say that while social media helps your business generate new leads it will also allow you to build deeper relationships with already existing clients thus driving them to purchase more. Marketers use social media in business to increase brand exposure, increase web traffic and gain market acumen.

Benefits of social media in business

The use of social media in business benefits your business in the following ways:

Increasing the recognition of your brand. Social media platforms are channels for your brand’s voice and content to be heard. Social media in business makes your brand more accessible to new customers.

Social media in business creates opportunities for you to convert more. It provides an avenue for you to meet potential customers and interact with existing customers.

Instantly review customers’ comments, questions and concerns through feedback provided on your business social media platforms. This method also allows you to answer them in a public format that lets others see the quality of your customer service and also get help for similar issues affecting them. Simply finding out what your customers are saying about you might be a valuable exercise.

Social media in business makes content easy to distribute; continuous exposure of products to customers can play a huge role when trying to convince customers to purchase your product or service. As you gain a wider audience on social media your influence will grow.

Almost all social media networks allow you to share content for free, hence cutting back on your marketing costs.

According to a research by Kenya’s leading online shop, Jumia, internet penetration in the country is among the highest in Africa at 83% and 58% respectively of the 44.35 million population, internet users stand at 26.1 million, making Kenya the 21st most connected population in the world.

With social media accessible from mobile handsets too, it’s easier for your content as a business person to get out there. Although most companies in Kenya are using social media for growth, there are still security issues that arise through use of social media in business, for instance hacking, which can be an organization’s nightmare, but with the help of computer or IT experts, it can be controlled.

Kenyan entrepreneurs should look more into using social media as a marketing tool, to build their businesses. TV recently went digital and now your business has to go digital too. Remember that entrepreneurs are known to be risk takers and social media in business is a risk worth trying.

In going digital, companies constantly need their employees to learn new skills necessary to sustain a company that has embraced digitization. ISA Africa offers short and long courses necessary in the current job market. ISA Africa’s partnership with industry associations allows them to align their programs in accordance with the market agenda.

With courses such as Communication Strategy Design and Marketing in a Digital World, you can never go wrong at ISA Africa.