The Intangible Benefits of Social Networking

Author: Eric Brantner

Online Content Writer

Businesses that purchase online marketing services want to know how their campaign is performing. They are spending money on a service, and they want to know how it is benefiting them. Typically, the search marketer will come up with some stats on rankings, conversions, and sales generated. However, not everything is black and white. For instance, social networking has many potential benefits that are difficult to measure.

• Branding- One important benefit of social networking is that it allows you to establish your brand online. Branding is crucial for small businesses that want to be successful because people tend to buy products from companies they recognize and trust. If you create a consistent image and theme throughout the social networks, other people will begin to associate you with that image. That’s why it is so important to pick one avatar and stick with it. Nike doesn’t change their logo on each shoe, and you shouldn’t change your avatar on each network.
• Word of Mouth- Since social networks are, well, social, businesses can use this interaction to their advantage. If you have a good presence on these networks, word will spread between users, and you can generate sales this way. This isn’t the easiest statistic to track because you don’t always know if a customer learned about you as a result of social networking. A lot of times, customers may not even remember where they first heard about a company. It could have been in passing from a friend online or not, but they know your company and that’s the important thing.

Don’t understimate the importance of word of mouth

• Reputation Management- Your online reputation is very important; especially if you are a smaller company that is trying to establish trust. Social networks give you a platform for creating a strong reputation for your brand. It gives potential customers deeper insight into who you are, and that can create trust. These networks also give you the opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. By updating regularly with informative content and interacting with the community, people will begin to respect what you say.
• New Ideas- Being a part of an online community gives members the opportunity to learn from one another. You can see what other people are doing to promote themselves, and you are able to determine which techniques are successful and which ones fall flat. You also have direct access to the potential customer’s mind so you can take suggestions from them to create a business that better meets their demands.

It is important to remember that not all benefits are tangible. In fact, many times it is the intangibles that make up a decent portion of your bottom line.