Getting Social: 3 Key Arguments for Using Social Media

The most common question I get asked, especially by those who are new to digital marketing, is “why is social media going to help me/my business?”. It’s a reasonable question for a person or a business owner to ask. 

Most job interview strategies suggest discussing the value a prospective employee can provide for a company. The same can be done for social media. What is the ROI (return on investment) of social media? What’s the big benefit of being online?

Luckily for any of you skeptics out there, there’s more than one benefit to being on social media. And I’m going to cover the biggest benefits right here, right now. 

Brand Personally

Regardless of whether you’re a job seeker or a business owner, one of the greatest benefits of digital marketing is being able to discover and fine-tune your brand. And it’s very easy to do just that. 

Start by finding the platforms you connect with most. Then use them. It's that simple. Talk about your passions, experiment with what works to get followings, or just celebrate your life and successes. As with any marketing tools, be sure to add your own twist to your accounts. Be proud of who you are and what makes you special. But also, be professional.

It sounds like a paradox, but think about it this way: in this day and age, social media is almost like a second resume. Almost. Employers will frequently check a prospective employee’s social media accounts before hiring them. Customers will check a brand’s social media accounts before they buy a product or service. 

This is the modern way of making a first impression and building a good reputation. If you brand yourself well, you will find success in job seeking or in business-building by showcasing the unique value you can provide to an employer or customer.

Network Professionally

We are in a truly unique position that no other generation before us has been in. We have the ability to reach countless new connections and customers without ever leaving the comfort of our home. We no longer have to rely strictly on in-person connections. That's why professional networking my favorite benefit of social media, as I’m an introvert and have a harder time networking during in-person events.

Whether it’s talking to other biz owners or prospective clients in Facebook groups, chatting to like-minded enthusiasts in Twitter chats, or scrolling (seemingly endlessly) through Instagram, we can easily step into someone else’s world and allow others to step into our own. 

That means we can share and gather unique perspectives on topics of interest to us. We can learn from others successes in order to avoid our own failures. We can take classes from experts in our field. We can meet people conducting similar business halfway around the world. And, if you’re a business owner, you can reach customers far beyond the usual stretch of your own backyard. 

This unprecedented access to like-minded individuals, employers, and customers is absolutely game-changing and means an endless pool of free exposure.

Attract Authentically

By combining successful personal branding and professional networking, you can use social media to authentically attract pretty much whatever you want. New business connections? You got ‘em. Online biz buddies? Check. More customers? Absolutely. 

There is no shortage of ways to use social media for yourself or your business. And, because the platforms are constantly changing, there are constantly new ways to reach more people than there were before.

All of these benefits add up to one thing: free, authentic digital marketing of yourself or your brand, simply by celebrating the things that make you/your brand unique. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that?

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What do you want to/already use social media for? Would you be interested in learning about any of these benefits in greater detail? Let me know in the comments!