Social media has become a critical part of many publicity campaigns today, so much so that any organization not yet tapped into this goldmine of free advertising is losing money every day. With over 800 million users in 2012, Facebook is one of the largest internet sites in the world, with an ever-growing audience of people who want to connect socially as well as to gain wanted information.

Facebook is not the only social site that is currently available; however, it is the largest and most successful of the many similar ones being offered. Twitter is not far behind and seems to be part of a package for businesses taking the leap with social media as a complement to a company website. Many companies are beginning to understand the power and benefits that Facebook and Twitter hold for a business.

Benefits

Following are some of the many ways that social media can benefit a business:

  • Increase Traffic – Facebook pages create an increase in website traffic that cannot be easily duplicated because of the idea behind ‘viral’ behavior. This is what happens when one person finds a page and clicks the ‘like’ button. From there, that one action can spread out to other friends linked via their feed âEUR” and so on indefinitely, which can ‘virally’ increase followers with just one link. Those who ‘like’ a Facebook page are more likely to visit it as well as click a link and visit the company’s website. The cost for this is the effort to create the page and maintain it. Twitter works much the same way, only through short micro-posts which go onto feeds and increase visibility.
  • Targeted Audience – Even if a business pays for advertising on a social media site, it can usually be assumed that most of those who ‘like’ a page are at least somewhat interested in the product or service being offered. So the time spent on a website is much more effective because it is being viewed by those who want to see what is offered, allowing for a greater chance of conversions. By creating a regular blog or website updates that are promoted on a Facebook page, companies have a chance to be seen routinely on many different feeds.
  • Up-to-Date – By joining the ranks of Facebook and Twitter as well as other social sites, a business also appears fresh and current, which is very important today. Companies that are easily accessible and know what is going on in the world tend to be visited more than others; it is expected nowadays that businesses subscribe to social media sites in order to attract internet customers.
  • Efficient Indexing– Due to the power and popularity of Facebook and Twitter, individual pages or Tweets are indexed faster. Google searches not only bring up a company’s website but the posts on these social sites as well, providing twice the chance for exposure. Facebook even has its own search engine that sorts through information confined solely to this site. Although not used as much as Google, when Facebook is used so also is the built-in search that provides search engine results from a much smaller playing field.Social media currently is as important to a business as any other part of an advertising campaign. Facebook and Twitter are two necessities to stay competitive and it can actually be detrimental for a business to not have these social pages because so many people use the internet and these sites. Any company that has not yet hopped on the social media wagon needs to open an account and get integrated into the world of viral social marketing today!