Social media has changed the world. The rapid adoption of new technologies are changing how we communicate, how we access information, how we organize to demand political change and how we grow our businesses to greater heights.

With that being said, no matter how big or small your company is, incorporating social media into the development of your business is crucial and it will definitely give the boost that it needs. 

The traditional model of business marketing is rapidly shifting towards digitalisation, especially during this pandemic. So, if you own a business that still doesn’t have a social media presence, what are you waiting for? You ought to begin now before it’s too late and if you already have a social media presence, perhaps this could be the time to rethink the type of content your audience would resonate with. If you’re unsure of how to begin, we have talked about it in our previous story. 

As much as it’s important for businesses to follow the rapid shift of marketing digitalisation, we also believe in going to the right channel to attain your resources and target consumers. If you wish to learn how to optimise social media that will benefit you greatly, read on as we'll be bringing you on a journey on how social media can bring impactful changes to your business. Today, we’ll be getting some insights from @SirJim, an Instagram content coach with 18 years of experience in the creative industry. 

SirJim reading the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs on Top 10 magazine; Image via SirJim 

Mr. Jim Khor, who goes by the name SirJim, started off his career 18 years ago as a Creative Director at Dentsu, one of the biggest advertising companies. After gaining enough experience from all the renowned companies that he had worked with, he then spun off to organise Anime Festival Asia, the largest anime convention in South East Asia. 

Later, he joined Great Eastern Malaysia as a Life Planner, which made him witness the insurance industry evolve from offline to online. Seeing that the pandemic had caused a rapid shift in many industries, it struck him to introduce brand-related content into the mobile ecosystem. With all the knowledge that he has up his sleeves, SirJim is now actively sharing valuable content revolving around the topics of personal branding, designing, insurance, and other Instagram-related content.  

As a content creator, SirJim believes in three core values and they are authenticity, community, and collaborations. These three components go hand-in-hand if you wish to build a strong social media presence for your business.

 Bigger Reach 

Bring your brand across to people all over the world with social media; Image via Medium 

With over 3.87 billion social media users, it is no doubt that having a social media presence will expose your brand or service to a larger audience. With these powerful tools, you are able to assemble your target audience and effectively market your products or services to them. 

Wondering if the traditional word-of-mouth method is still relevant or not? Well, it is! In fact, SirJim says the users’ fear of missing out, plays a vital role in improving sales conversion. Today, the repost and reshare options on social media have become a new form of word-of-mouth marketing. We already know how powerful word-of-mouth marketing is, so imagine having a similar option but online? We’d lose track of how many people we can reach in just 1 minute or so! Ultimately, the community drives the engagement which directly contributes to a larger scale audience. 

The point is, the more people talk about a certain brand or service, the more it attracts new consumers to flock in. When your business page garners positive reviews and ratings from satisfied consumers, it will provide assurance to other consumers as well. Hence, it is important to expand your target audience by leveraging social media platforms.  

Cost-Effective Marketing 

Say hello to budget-friendly marketing; Image via Business Review 

Social media is evidently one of the most inexpensive ways to grow your business digitally. The best part is that you don’t necessarily need to use the paid advertising features to get your brand out there, instead, you just have to diligently explore the platforms’ features. 

According to SirJim, some of the main features of Instagram that every business should leverage is the feed and stories. The Instagram feed shares the core values and concepts of a brand, while the stories feature can exhibit its authenticity by showing a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes.  

Seriously,  you really don’t have to put aside a huge budget for marketing schemes! You can achieve great results just by investing a little money and time in creating relevant and authentic content for your target audience. There’s really no better way to market your brand than to acquire consumers that are able to relate to the essence of your business. As a result of these simple changes to your marketing technique, you can expect a significant increase in conversion rates which will help reclaim your capital investments. 

Enhance Brand Loyalty 

Customer satisfaction is the key to brand loyalty; Image via Orientation Marketing 

Among the main goals of every business is to build a community of loyal consumers. The existence and evolution of social media platforms definitely help put every business one step ahead in achieving that goal.

Through social media, consumers not only get exposed to your brand but also develop a deeper understanding of it. Hence, establishing a firm connection with your brand’s consumers will significantly increase your brand loyalty. Besides, businesses can also gain first-hand feedback from their customers. 

That’s the reason why SirJim encourages businesses to prompt engagement with customers in every possible way via social media. He advises business pages to actively follow people, reply to comments and create engaging content to connect with their followers. This will boost their followers’ interest in the brand and ultimately increase profit. 

Boost Brand Awareness

The best way to market your brand is by word-of-mouth; Image via Retail In Asia 

Social media platforms have a diverse range of audiences, and different platforms will have different impacts on your target audience. So, it is essential for every business to have omnipresence across various social media platforms. 

In order to firmly establish your business, you need to ensure all your potential consumers are aware of your brand. You can tailor your content according to each social media platform to maximise your opportunity to gain new potential consumers. This way you’ll be able to gain the attention of a diverse audience across many social media platforms. 

By the same token, every platform matters when it comes to marketing your business. However, the nature of the business does carry weight in the efficacy of each platform. Although each platform is important, SirJim says we cannot overlook the influence and community support from Facebook, Instagram and ClubHouse. 

6 Common Mistakes by Startups/ Companies on Social Media 

You’re one step closer to success just by avoiding these mistakes; Image via American Nurse 

1. Not following enough people - When business pages do not follow enough people on social media, it will directly impact their brand awareness because not many people will recognise the brand. 
2. Lack of consistency - A business page’s consistency is crucial when it comes to the quantity and quality of its contents. An inconsistent page will only cause uncertainty and hesitation among potential consumers. 
3. Lack of engagement - When businesses do not actively engage with their customers, it will only decrease brand loyalty and trust because there are no firm relationships between them and their consumers. 
4. Poor management of negative comments - Businesses should not directly reply to negative comments or reviews from customers. Instead, they should take the discussion offline because their replies can be easily misinterpreted by others. 
5. Lack of attractive profiles and images - Some business pages have interesting and relevant content but sadly it doesn’t grab the attention of their consumers. An attractive profile with catchy content will prompt more engagements and visits to your profile. 
6. Lack of social media marketing strategies - Without a clear goal of their target audiences and product marketing, businesses will not be able to effectively bring their products across to their consumers. 

The Power Of Social Media 

Every industry has stiff competition but what makes a business stand out from the rest is how well they utilise their social media platforms. With the right social media plan and community of loyal customers, any business should be able to take off in no time.

SirJim’s advice to all business owners out there would be to begin looking into online marketing, especially Instagram today. Moreover, the added features of Instagram would definitely give your business a cutting edge. Sad to say that things will never go back to the old days, so every business should utilise social media platforms to engage with the audience and do their best in making them feel valued and appreciated. Every business starts with education and community, so don’t solely focus on making sales. 

We hope this article benefits every business owner out there, and we wish you good luck with growing your business through social media.