What is social media?

what-is-social-media

You might be thinking that this is a fairly obvious answer, even if you don’t have a smart phone, you probably have a mild grasp or at least have heard of Facebook. But if you haven’t, don’t worry! We’re going to help with some top tips for social media in our latest campaign so stick with us.

Keeping it simple, social media are interactive web-based technologies that allow users to create and share information, ideas, interests and other forms of expression. It’s the user-generated content such as a post, a comment, a like, a photo, a video that is the lifeblood of social media. Without users, it quite frankly would no longer exist!

Some of the most popular social media channels include Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube and LinkedIn.

It’s access to these social media users that is vital for an online business in this day and age, particularly for small businesses. So, why should you care about it?

Why is social media important?

Facebook alone has over 2 billion monthly active users and whilst we’re not suggesting you will have access to every single one of those users, it shows the scope of the audience available to you in your local area.

Social media’s crucial role is to connect people and develop relationships, not just human to human, but to businesses, influencers, journalists and various industries. It also provides businesses with a great customer service tool and access to insights on what the public really think of their product or services.

These insights can help you manage what’s working, what’s not working and help to develop your public image and it allows you to keep a sneaky eye on your competitors too!

We’ve identified the top 3 reasons you should consider being on or developing your social media plans in the future:

1. Get your message out there faster!

You don’t need to worry about loading anything on to your website (although we can help you with that too), getting some flyers printed up or spending time on an email campaign. Your message can be as instant as a quick photo, message and post. All done with a couple of thumbs and your mobile phone! The ability to share content immediately is literally at your fingertips.

2. Sharing is caring

Engaging with your audience has never been easier. You can ask questions, create polls, gauge reactions, collect feedback, garner reviews and have genuine conversations with loyal or prospective clients. So be sure to content regularly and with purpose.

3. A cost-effective investment

If you’re going to run this in-house then it’s totally free. You can build brand awareness on the most relevant social media channels with investment of your time only. If you want Activ’s help to setup a social media strategy, build a content calendar and even run the show for you, then it’s still not going to be one of your largest marketing investments this year.

To find out more about how our Activ consultants can support your social media plans, take a look here.

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