These days, social media isn’t just a mere tool to tell people what has been happening in our lives. It’s become more than that, with more companies increasingly using it to help their businesses. It’s also helped these very companies survive the pandemic.
When people cannot leave their homes, social media has created a way to send their message across. Businesses create marketing campaigns with social media, and that includes even managing their reputation online. Engagement with customers and clients can also become more personal, thanks to social media. It’s an important tool, and even more important for small businesses is the ability to engage on a personal level.
There are a lot more benefits than just engagement that social media brings. What are these benefits? We take a closer look at the many great things social media can give a small, on-the-rise company.
It allows traditional companies to continue with their activities
To really see the power of social media, you have to look at traditional companies in nature. This includes schools such as music academies.
These schools thrive on having people sign up for lessons in different musical instrument categories. With the pandemic, it’ll be next to impossible to continue with operations because of the lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders. These schools used social media and the power of the Internet to continue with their lessons.
Most music schools have an end-of-semester recital. With social media and video streaming technology, they could bring that to more people and spread the word of it on the web. Each student was also able to participate through a livestream, outdoor concert. It’s hard to imagine how these schools would’ve managed to pull that off without social media.
It helps companies give back to the community
During a time like COVID-19, companies are helping communities back on their feet, not for publicity stunts. In the case of this Nissan dealership, they lent cars and helped in the procurement of PPEs using social media.
Facebook Live, in particular, has been a big help in producing videos, from helping people know more about the virus, navigate their way to busy hospital streets to going to drive-ins and preparing for road trips even during the pandemic.
Other chores include promotions and other methods that are friendly to the pandemic. Social media helps companies connect with people and remind them that they’re not alone in facing the uncertainties of the situation.
It can be used to help people
Some businesses have relied on social media even before the pandemic. While businesses can and should use it to grow their work, it can also help people struggling with the weight of fear and anxiety during COVID-19. There are a lot of people that are under stress from many sources and can’t handle isolation.
With technology and social media working together, these businesses can bring people closer and make them feel like they are part of a group. For instance, a cooking school reliant on posting things on social media could post friendly pictures of groups of people helping each other through food pictures and recipe posts.
It can help shops sell their products
There are many platforms on which online shops can sell their products. There’s Amazon and Best Buy, among many others. For its part, social media giant Facebook has launched Shops, a platform on which small to medium online businesses can post their products and services.
This is a free service that lets these companies create a digital storefront for free. Users who are browsing online can also drop by these stores directly through Facebook. It’s also available on Instagram, where these small businesses can discover Shops through ads posted by Facebook or Stories created by the business itself.
It can help advertise companies’ products for free
Video marketing is a big part of a company’s strategy, and video streaming network YouTube knows this. In fact, many companies use YouTube to create video marketing campaigns for a product or service they want to promote. To make it easier for these businesses, the company has launched its Video Builder Tool, where companies can create videos for free.
The tool is free and in the beta phase, which helps create animated videos using static images, tests, and logos. These can also be improved with free music from YouTube’s library.
Today, it’s easier to create small companies and complete campaigns on your own using social media. It isn’t just to inform or entertain anymore. In the pandemic, social media has evolved to become an indispensable part of a person’s life.
