Back to the Basics: What Actually is Social Media and How can it Help your Business?

Think social media is just for selfies and status updates? Think again—it could be your business’s growth engine.

Many small business owners use social media as their primary form of communication to their consumers. It is incomparably one of the most useful tools small business owners use to expand their reach.

At its core, most social media is nothing more than an expressway to connection. In this aspect, it is no different than a phone call or a text message. Where social media differs, is in the level of connection that is created by the use of it. Social media offers communication on a much larger scale than a simple messaging application might, and individualized marketing designed to help businesses improve their accuracy in finding their target audience. 

1. Social media helps with crowdsourcing.

Because of how connected social media can help a business be, it can make understanding what the people want a much simpler process. Many social media apps have options to create polls or post a question for your followers to respond to. This makes it super easy to understand what issues your customers are having and makes both liked and disliked products more prominent for business owners. 

Many social media apps also collect information on the consumer - what they click on, what they like, and what they comment on. Business owners are then quickly able to see how to market to their clients. Different programs can help show the information in different ways such as graphs, charts, and tables which create an even simpler user experience when trying to figure out the complex metrics of a business.

2. Social media can help you find and recruit the best team members.

There are so many different people on social media who have various skills. Reaching out to these individuals can help you discover talents you might not have, which may help your business and teams operate more efficiently. 

Social media platforms like LinkedIn offer powerful tools for talent and team recruiting. For instance, LinkedIn allows companies to post job openings directly on their page, where they can reach a vast network of professionals. Additionally, the platform’s advanced search features enable recruiters to filter potential candidates based on specific skills, experience, and educational backgrounds. 

At GoldBear Media, we’re constantly evaluating which platforms are best for your business to be active on. If you’re targeting other businesses, LinkedIn may be a priority. For more customer interaction, Instagram is a great choice. When we create your social media strategy, we conduct a deep dive to determine the most suitable platforms for your business needs.

3. Social media helps product promotion.

Seems obvious, right? It may appear straightforward to use social media platforms, but often the importance of these tools for small businesses is overlooked. Social media marketing is one of the most effective ways for small businesses to advertise their products and services to a large audience quickly while keeping costs low. The world of social media is instantaneous and inexpensive to operate. Sales links and new product launches can be shared instantly, and posting a photo is free. This can lead to quick sell-outs, creating demand and increasing profits, which ultimately drives business growth.

Social Media is a powerful tool that can - and should - be used to help grow your business. It not only pushes products to consumers but also helps small business owners refine their niche by understanding their audience and receiving continuous feedback on their services. Business owners are able to ask others who may have different knowledge and skills for help and advice which can improve the overall quality and price for the consumer. Understanding how to use social media while marketing for a small business can make a drastic difference in the overall success of the company.

All our social media clients at GoldBear Media start with a strategy document that really makes your online presence pop. We’re all about creating content that resonates with your audience, keeping your social feeds looking great and on trend, and constantly tweaking our tactics based on what the data tells us. This way, we keep your social game strong and your audience engaged.

What goals do you have for your business social media in 2025?