In recent years, social media has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes, including small businesses, to reach and engage with their target audiences. In Ireland, the impact of social media marketing on small businesses has been significant, and its importance is expected to continue to grow in 2023.
Here’s an interesting fact, just 10 years ago no more than 10 per cent of small business owners were using Social media marketing mediums for their business.
An awful lot to be honest! The main factor is the new availability of marketing tools that weren’t even dreamed about back in those days of yore.
This article explores the impact of social media marketing on small businesses in Ireland in 2023 and provides some tips for small business owners to leverage the power of social media for their businesses.
Social media marketing is an effective way for small businesses to increase their brand awareness, reach a wider audience, and engage with their customers. It allows small businesses to create and share content, promote their products or services, and connect with their target audiences.
In Ireland, social media usage is widespread, with an estimated 3.5 million people using social media regularly. This presents a huge opportunity for small businesses to reach a large audience and promote their products or services.
According to a recent survey by the Small Firms Association, 76% of small businesses in Ireland use social media to promote their businesses. This indicates that small businesses in Ireland are aware of the importance of social media marketing and are taking advantage of it.
Social media marketing helps small businesses in Ireland increase their brand awareness by reaching a wider audience. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow small businesses to create and share content that is relevant to their target audience, increasing the likelihood of being seen and remembered.
Social media marketing provides small businesses in Ireland with an opportunity to engage with their customers on a personal level. By responding to comments, messages, and reviews, small businesses can build a loyal customer base, increasing the chances of repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Social media marketing can also lead to increased sales for small businesses in Ireland. By promoting their products or services on social media, small businesses can attract new customers and drive more traffic to their websites or physical stores.
Tips for Small Businesses to Leverage the Power of Social Media Marketing:
The appearance on the scene of IOS and Android smartphones has been a massive game changer with mobile usage far exceeding tablets laptops and PCs, this has led to mobile marketing from becoming a side project to the main event.
Small businesses are now optimising their websites to become fully mobile responsive and using the power of Social Media to engage with potential consumers.
It’s a well-known fact that 90 per cent of mobile phone users keep their devices within arm’s reach 100 per cent of the time so the mobile marketing opportunities and potential return on investment for small business owners are staggering.
Another massive change has been the improvement in the advertising opportunities offered by Social Media platforms.
The inaugural platform however was rough around the edges, rudimentary and extremely limited for business owners looking to target the desired audience.
Fast forward 10 years and following a massive improvement in Geo Targeting tools, business owners can now pinpoint every fine detail of their campaign and target precisely who they want and when they want while keeping firm control of their ad spend budget, there is also the added ability to monitor the effectiveness of their advert in real-time.
This process applies to Twitter and other Social Media channels too, Snapchat’s live stories have become a powerful marketing medium too and although it is not yet affordable to small businesses one must anticipate its accessibility to everyone over the next few years.
As Social Media has become THE way to communicate in the 21st century the potential audience reach for a small business advertising its wares has exploded, add this method of viral communication with the affordability of adverts offered by social media channels and the marketing potential for even a small business is staggering.
Let’s make a comparison with traditional methods here, an advert for a restaurant in a local newspaper would get exposed the ad to an average 50-mile radius, running an ad campaign on let’s say Facebook on a moderate budget may be seen all over the world, so it’s a no brainer which medium serves as the more beneficial to a small business.
To summarise, Social Media has completely revolutionised and expanded the marketing capabilities of small businesses immensely, as more and more businesses take the leap into the digital world it seems like the end is near for the traditional methods of before.
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for small businesses in Ireland to increase their brand awareness, engage with their customers, and drive more sales. With the continued growth of social media usage in Ireland, small businesses that take advantage of social media marketing are likely to thrive in 2023 and beyond. By following the tips outlined in this article, small businesses in Ireland can leverage the power of social media marketing to achieve their business goals.
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By Matrix Internet
By Irene Hislop
By Conor McCaffrey