Social Media Marketing for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses: First Impressions Always Count!

After 18 years of working in corporate organisations (Volkswagen Group UK and SAI Global/Intertek), working as a marketing consultant alongside different SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) has been a real eye-opener. I’ve learnt so much about the challenges of businesses that don’t have the luxury of having massive marketing budgets, yet they still have an appreciation for how marketing is required to grow their brands and businesses' ambitions.

It’s clear that many SMEs are not putting enough focus into the social media element of their marketing mix.

This is for different reasons, however, the most common two are:

· They’re busy with the daily running of the business and they simply do not have the time or knowledge to dedicate to a channel of marketing that they don’t fully understand.

· Some question and lack understanding of the power of social media and its ability to help drive their business forward. So, they shy away.

Both reasons are understandable. Running an SME can be a hard grind!

Businesses often overlook the fact that their social media channels are where prospects and customers are seeking information and talking about their brand and products.

Social media platforms are where:

· Existing customers are talking to prospects, and first impressions always count!

· Prospects are seeking feedback from existing customers,

· Customers are talking to brands,

· Advocates are spreading positive sentiment,

· Unsatisfied customers are airing their dissatisfaction,

· Leads are being generated.

It’s therefore important that brands are present and engaging in these conversations, with the right level of interaction.

Social media platforms give businesses the opportunity to:

· Grow their brand awareness by reaching new audiences,

· Nurture prospects into customers,

· Amplify advocacy (where possible),

· Turn the unsatisfied customers into satisfied customers,

· Drive ROI through advertising (another blog to follow on this topic),

· Generally, become more likeable, trusted and desirable.

A silent brand is a dead one!

So, why are businesses not investing more time in social media? Well, often, it’s for the following reasons:

· They’re generally “scared” of it because they don’t understand it,

· They're not sure how to respond to comments on posts,

· They don’t have the resource to manage it and see it as overly time-consuming,

· They don’t believe that it will drive ROI (another blog to follow on this topic),

· They don’t understand the power and potential of the channel.

And, here are some solutions to get your business active and driving results on social media:

· Dedicate some time to understanding and managing your social media channels. You can start small, test and learn and then build over time.

· Be present and engaged on your social platforms.

· Seek training on the fundamentals of social media in business.

· Outsource the management of your social media strategy and delivery.

To find out more about how Cyclone Marketing can help you achieve your marketing ambitions, or to have a general chat through your marketing challenges, please contact us via our website.

Written by Tanya Whymark

Head of Social Media and Strategy

Cyclone Marketing UK Ltd.