Thanks to the development of technology, businesses now have a range of digital tools available to help them market their business. These tools are easier, faster, and there’s the viral factor – thus ensuring immediate feedback from your potential customers. The best way to harness this power? It’s all about getting social…

So what is social media?

Social media is a collective of online communication channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing, and collaboration. Websites and applications dedicated to forums, micro blogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social curation, and wikis are among the different types. One good example that you may know about is Facebook.

Digital Marketing Superhero Tip:  Did you know that social media marketing has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing? Or that 84% of B2B marketers use this medium in some form? No matter what you sell and who you sell it to, using social media as a marketing tool can help you grow your brand and pad your wallet.

Here are some of the main benefits of using social media for any business (if we listed them all, this blog post would never end!):

1. If you’re not online, you don’t exist. Plain and simple as that. Social media allows you to regularly interact with your followers, journalists who cover your industry, thought leaders and most importantly your target market.
2. A strong social media presence builds brand loyalty. A report published by Texas Tech University found that brands that are active in social platforms have more loyal customers.
3. You can respond to problems immediately. If there’s a problem with your product or service, you want to know about it right away.
4. The social media marketing arena is a (fairly) level playing field. Some brands may have bigger ad budgets than others, but all companies start off on equal footing when it comes to social media marketing.
5. Your competition is getting social, so you should too. Did you know that 91% of brands are using more than one social media platform.

Julia Taine is a digital marketing superhero at Vent2Me.com.au. You can connect with her on Twitter.