Knowing how to use social media for business in the 21st century is important for business growth

Social media and networking are probably not new to you. Also, the benefits they entail are probably things you are a little familiar with or able to guess. But I want to reveal some profound facts about how to use social media networking for your business. And also, the best channel to-go-to when it comes to social media networking. Millions of people all around the world are linked to some kind of social networking site. 88% of digital marketers are using Content Marketing. Similar studies have shown that social media marketing budgets continue to rise. In this post, you will learn how to use social media for business.

As a Nigerian business owner, digital marketing and social media networking can boost your business awareness

Africa is becoming the next center of international development. International finance corporations and venture capitalists support Nigerian and African start-ups. We now trade with world-class developers around the globe. Now with all these facts presented before us, what does it mean for business owners? It means that digital marketing and social media networking are the way forward to get more clients, sales, and leads. Knowing how you can benefit from social media is crucial for your business growth.Otherwise, you would be left behind, because sales are the core driving force for any industry.

Now you might be wondering. How do I go about this with so many social media platforms out there? Where do I start? It's so difficult to keep up with all these new updates here and there.

Well, don't bother about the complicated stuff. I have a simplified solution for you right here: ''give to get value''. This is the core principle behind every successful online business. Now there are many channels you can use to accomplish this. More on that later.

Highlights of benefits of social media networking for Nigerian businesses

Let's highlight what social media can do for you as an entrepreneur before diving deep into channels needed for a successful online business. The list below highlights some benefits social media can provide for you as a business owner:

⦁ Leads and sales generation for your business. This is the core foundation for every business and entrepreneur out there, without it, your startup will not survive. It can be either targeted or non-targeted leads or sales.

⦁ Online presence, brand awareness, and social credibility. Social media can do this for you, especially if you are a startup. For instance, you could build credibility through reviews and ratings on social media platforms.

⦁ Improvement of customer relationships. This is an obvious thing, any social media platform can do for your business because there will be a wide range of engagement between startups and clients for better performance and relation.

How to get the key features that you need for your business to grow through social media

Now lets elaborate on key features on how you can benefit from social media. Here is a comprehensive of all the right channels to utilize:

The very first one, you can use as an entrepreneur are local directories. For instance, Nairaland, Yellow pages, Google my business, etc.. You could find more by putting the words ''local directory'' in a search engine.

Get your business listed and verified, and direct your local clients to give positive reviews about your business or services. This will do wonders for your business and increase your leads and your online reputation.

The second benefit you can enjoy greatly are Ads from top social media giants like Facebook, Linked In, Instagram, and others. However before you dive into it, I recommend that you take a course on how to run profitable ads on those platforms or get an expert to do it for you. Another tip is to give value first before offering sales or services. For instance, you could give a free training or eBooks before jumping to sale. This improves your chances of getting customers.

Join relevant groups and publish contents that are relevant for your business in the groups

The final channel is a free and time consuming one. However, it comes with amazing rewards. We are still going by the same principle: ''give value to get value''. Join groups on social media that are relevant for your business.

You can even create one yourself. Offer valuable services such as free training, tips, eBooks, giveaways among others. As long as it solves people's identifiable problems, it would be valuable. You can then offer your services later on.

The majority of Nigerian teens tend to always chat, make social life, and play on social media platforms. Most Nigerian companies on the other hand use social media to increase their visibility and presence.

Social media can help you to improve sales, leads, and a whole lot more. With the recent outbreak of the deadly virus Covid 19, several entrepreneurs have started to realize that they can utilize social media for their businesses.