Social media was at one time the wild child of internet marketing with many of its critics unsure about how it could work in a commercial context. Today however the likes of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have more than proven their credentials as one of the best ways to tackle the myriad of problems that SME’s can face. 1 - Low website traffic There can be many reasons why your website isn’t getting enough traffic and often it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what is going wrong without seeking out the opinion of experts. It could be that your website is slow, you aren’t using Pay-Per-Click campaigns to compete for the top spots on Google, you haven’t got a blog yet or perhaps you aren’t utilising social media to its full extent. 
Social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ have millions of users and even if you are not engaging them using videos, photos and written content your competitors most certainly will be. Remember, sharing informative content, incorporating links and running targeted ad campaigns can all increase traffic to your website and help you make more conversions in the long run. 2 – Poor customer retention It’s much easier to retain customers than it is to win new ones and social media can be a great feather in your cap when it comes to customer retention. The best companies are on hand to answer any queries that customers might have and provide exceptional customer service at all times, turning your followers into loyal customers and advocates of your business. Seeing your content on social media also helps to create and maintain brand awareness, so that when a customer needs a product or service that you are offering, yours is the first name that springs to mind. 3 – Immeasurable success Let’s face it; it can be difficult to know whether you are getting your money’s worth with traditional forms of advertising. However, when it comes to social media advertising everything is made simple. You can see exactly how much traffic is being driven to your website and how much each click is costing you. 4 – No time for Market Research Market research can be costly, but if you can build up an audience on networks like Facebook and Twitter then you can get some very interesting insights into who your customers are, including information about their location, age, gender and general interests. All of this can then be used to make your advertising campaigns even more effective. It’s important to note that while advertising on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is priced competitively, without day-to-day management and a clear strategy in place you can easily waste your hard-earned marketing budget. Please contact David Clarke of DBS on 0800 988 8366 for a free, non obligation discussion of your needs.
The Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce website recently focussed on DBS and the online marketing advice they gave to Wright Vigar Chartered Accountants as part of the government's Growth Voucher scheme. This included advice about social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked in and Google+. You can read the article, entitled “Scheme Delivers Results”, by clicking here. David Clarke, director of DBS is pictured here with James Sewell of Wright Vigar.
The two biggest social media platforms – Facebook and Twitter – have recently launched schemes to open up opportunities for small businesses in the UK to advertise on their social networking sites – just in time for Christmas!
