Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
New research reveals that 25 per cent of entrepreneurs don’t use social media for their small business despite the benefits that it can bring.
The UK Domain study shows some surprising results from the 500 business owners it surveyed. Out of all the users that took part, 24 per cent don’t think it’s relevant to their industry, with 23 per cent saying they don’t know how to use it to promote their business or they don’t have time for it.
A smaller 15 per cent say that they have enough customers already and 15 per cent have other reasons for not using social media.
For those that do, Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform (27 per cent), surviving recent controversies over data. The visually powerful Instagram comes in second place (25 per cent) while social media veteran Twitter takes a respectable third (though it has around half as many users as Facebook at 14 per cent).
Small business owners use social media for a variety of functions. Chief among them is raising brand awareness (29 per cent), increasing customer engagement (26 per cent) and generating sales (20 per cent). Social media platforms are also used to drive traffic to websites (16 per cent) and build email lists (7 per cent).
Refine your social media
Establishing your reasons for using these platforms is key to kicking off your social media strategy. To find out more about what a social media strategy is and why you need one, take a look at this guide to social media strategy for small businesses or to dive straight in and start creating your own strategy, check out these 8 steps.
If you lack confidence, are afraid of dealing with disgruntled customers or wary of damaging your brand, start slowly. It’s never going to be a clear-cut formula, but there are methods to enhancing your social media presence. Head over to the UK Domain for some handy guides on how to give your social some zing and take a look at their full online guide to social media strategy for more help and advice on getting started.
This article was brought to you in partnership with the UK Domain.
Read more
How to create a social media strategy as a business leader
A quarter of entrepreneurs don’t use social media for their small business
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