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There are many different ways in which businesses can benefit from using social media. This post outlines some of the different ways to use social media within your business. 

Marketing

Marketing is the most obvious way in which a business can benefit from social media. Using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, you can stay connected to your existing customers by posting news and updates. You can also attract new customers and raise brand awareness through targeted advertising, and there are certain companies, similar to this TikTok Agency London, who can offer specific help for growing on your target platform. Building a large following is also good for your reputation and some sites like Facebook also allow customers to leave reviews. 

While social media can be a useful marketing tool, try not to make your content overly promotional. Many marketers recommend using the 80/20 rule - only 20% of your content should be explicitly promotional, while the other 80% should be fun or educational. Most consumers use social media in their leisure time and may be put off by a brand that’s overly promotional. You can hire a marketing agency to help you create top-quality content. Alternatively, you can do it yourself if you’d prefer to save money.

Networking

Social media can be a great networking tool for connecting with other professionals. By following other brands, you can engage with their content and form friendly online relationships. You may even be able to DM other companies for private conversations. This could be useful for forming cross-promotion strategies, discussing partnerships or simply seeking advice.

LinkedIn is a particularly powerful networking platform that is targeted at professionals. Sign up to this site if you’re not already a member.

Competitor research

Social media can be a great tool for checking what your competitors are up to. You can see what products and deals they’re offering and you can get a good idea of their marketing strategies. You may be influenced to borrow certain ideas, or it could give your inspiration as to how to set yourself apart.

You don’t have to follow these competitor accounts, however it could be worth regularly checking in on them to see what they’re up to. Make a note of some of your biggest competitors who are worth monitoring. 

Consumer research

You can also build new strategies by learning from consumers on social media. This could include your own followers or random consumers.

Asking questions and conducting polls on Facebook and Twitter are great ways to find out information from your consumers. You can also take inspiration from trending hashtags and news. Social media analytics can also be a useful tool. 

Applicant screening

Many companies nowadays use social media to research the backgrounds of potential recruits. You can learn a lot from people by the types of content they post or by how many followers they have. If anything, it can be a good way of gauging how honest an applicant is. 

Consider including social media within your applicant screening process. Some applicants will not have social media or will have locked accounts, so bear this in mind when adding it to the process.