Why SMEs have the upper hand when it comes to social media

Why SMEs have the upper hand when it comes to social media

 

 

As any business owner knows, there’s no way of building a brand successfully in today’s digital era without at least some form of social media. With around 4.2 billion active social media users in the world, it’s a fantastic opportunity for businesses to grow brand awareness, develop customer relationships and promote products and services to a wider audience. 

 

But while small businesses (SMEs) may feel out of their depth in growing a business, they’ll be pleased to hear that they actually have the upper hand when navigating social media. 

 

The chance to foster a community

 

 

One of the primary benefits of social media platforms is that it offers businesses a chance to build brand awareness and connect with customers, both potential and current. SMEs tend to be more community-focused and are more involved in building authentic relationships with their customers. This automatically gives them an advantage over larger organisations who don’t have that personal touch. 

 

Get to know your audience personally

To carry out a social media marketing strategy successfully, you need to get personal. Brands have to create content that speaks to their audience, and being able to delve into the details makes this easier to do. SMEs are all about personalisation. They can spend the time really getting to know their customers, from the interests they have to their pain points, where they’re based and how they found the business. There is the real opportunity to know who their customers are and build a business (and a marketing strategy) that's tailored to them. 

 

Leverage the efforts of bigger brands

It’s even possible to leverage the social media strategies of larger organisations and reap the rewards. For example, large businesses often host or sponsor events such as trade shows, conferences and exhibitor events. SMEs in the industry can use the social media marketing carried out by these organisations to promote their business and products. That may be by getting involved with the event, taking part in online conversations held on their pages or even collaborating on marketing efforts to reach a wider audience of prospective customers. 

 

A cheap way to advertise

There may still be the need to pay for certain forms of advertising, but social media is free and when done correctly, can be a highly effective way of advertising your brand, products or services without needing to pay a penny. You can update your followers on the latest promotions, sales and products, or keep them up to speed on the latest industry information. As engagement grows, those followers become your best brand ambassadors to share your message for you. There’s a lot more room for experimentation with SMEs, so they can be more flexible about the content they publish and the ways they choose to advertise. 

 

An effective social media strategy ultimately comes down to engagement, and that’s where SMEs take the advantage over big brands. They have the time and flexibility to really get to know their customers, build lasting relationships and grow their community. This all helps them grow with a loyal fanbase of dedicated customers.