Use social media to grow faster, IT analysts tells SMEs

Fri, Feb 23, 2018 | By publisher


Business

EKUNDAYO Ayeni, Chief Innovation Officer, BusinessPlus Services, a digital marketing organisation, on Friday described social media as the fastest means to promote businesses. Ayeni told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday that business owners should interact with customers via social media since a large percentage of the public used the platforms.

The digital marketer, however, said that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) must understand how social media worked and how to use them to boost sales.

He advised that SMEs should invest in the platform where they would reach and engage with their audiences better instead of advertising on all social media. “Facebook is the biggest social network on the web, both in terms of name recognition and total number of users.

“With over two billion active users, Facebook is a great medium for connecting people from all over the world with your business. SMEs should familiarise themselves with such a platform so as to thrive,’’ the IT analyst said.

He said that instagram, with more than 700 million active users, would boost sales for entrepreneurs who are into travels, food, art and fashion.

Ayeni added that Twitter, with an average of about 328 million users, was effective for handling customer service. “This platform is not only a great way to market one’s business, but also an effective channel for handling customer service.

“If you have an interesting content, Twitter is a great tool for spreading the message. Hashtags help to boost posts, and if a user with a lot of followers re-tweets you, your content has the potential to go viral.’’

According to the analyst, LinkedIn, which has over 500 million users, is a powerful networking tool for both individuals and SMEs.

He told NAN that LinkedIn was good for professionals, businesses, job hunters and students. “It is a platform where a businessman can interact with others for B2B  – business-to-business – marketing, partnership and presentation of business quality and brand awareness,’’ he said.

According to Ayeni, products that are service-based and have global relevance are advertised better on blogs and forums. He said that although advertising on one’s social media page would be free, SMEs should occasionally have paid adverts to have visibility and penetration.

Ayeni said that social media were effective tools to grow business but might not be efficient, if not properly understood.

He said that SMEs must understand how to use the platforms to boost sales. “SMEs should supply educational content on their pages to help the audience to understand what their businesses are all about.

“To win customers, SMEs must be able to know how to influence their audiences and be ready to listen to their problems. Once your target audience understands you, it will be easy for them to buy your products,’’ the IT analyst said. (NAN)

– Feb.  23, 2018 @ 12:15 GMT |

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