What exactly is social media?

If you are familiar with popular social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, you have probably a good idea about the topic. But if you have not created a profile page for yourself or for your company, you should consider making one now.

 Well, why should you?

According to a survey done by a global workplace solutions provider, 43% of businesses in the United States use social networking to win over new customers successfully. Furthermore, approximately 50% use it to communicate or provide information to their existing customers.

The report also emphasizes that social networking has fully developed from a “nice” Web feature to a “necessity”, given that 69% of the companies in the U.S. and 74% across the world have acknowledged that social media activities have a big impact on their marketing campaign.

Currently, many U.S. small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are among the most eager followers of social media technologies and this number is increasing. In fact, a confidence index states that there are over 70% of small business owners in the nation endorsing their companies on Facebook for the first three months of 2011.

SMEs in the United Kingdom are catching up, wherein 47% small to medium businesses are already taking advantage of social networks to get in touch with their customers and prospects.

As of late, there is a mounting perception among many enterprises that using social media is quickly becoming critical; otherwise, their competitors will leave them behind.

Apart all these important points, here are more reasons for embracing social media and networking.

• You can disseminate any information about your company within a matter of seconds.

• You can prove your knowledge, influence, and credibility.

• You can start conversations regarding your industry, enterprise, and offers (whether goods or services).

• Plenty of your customers are expecting you to do so.

• Creating a profile page is basic much like owning a landline.

• Your prospects or existing clients can get in touch with you 24/7.

• You can save time and money on your marketing strategy as most social networking sites are free and the setup process is easy.

• Many of your competitors probably have their own profile page. Given that several consumers expect to find businesses on Twitter or Facebook, you will lose many prospects to other providers if you do not have your own social media page.

So, what do you think? Are these insights enough to make you start working on your profile page? If you have one or more set up already, find out how you can optimise it to attract more followers.

About the Author: Emma Tomlinson is the Head of Retail at Smart Traffic SEO Marketing which based in Bristol delivering successful campaigns to both SMEs and major brands