How social media can help you expand your small business

Despite social media’s growing popularity, many small-business owners are reluctant to log on.

If you devote time to maintaining an active presence online, the results will be positive and plentiful. From strengthening brand awareness to increasing sales, here’s what platforms such as Facebook, Yelp and Twitter can help you do:

Create an opportunity

Gone are the days of “if you built it, they will come.” If you want your brand to be successful, you have to challenge yourself and your team to use social media to interact regularly with customers.

It isn’t enough simply to have an account Twitter or an organization page on Facebook, you must stay active. Once you establish an audience, you can create conversations with your customer base. Make it a goal to post at least three times per week or comment on three customer reviews every day. Making an effort to connect shows you’re a go-getter and infuses your brand image with that same energy.

Get to know your audience

For a small-business owner with a busy schedule, using social media to interact and gain insights might seem counterintuitive. It isn’t.