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Despite its reliance on modern infrastructure, social media is based on much the same basic mechanism as good old-fashioned gossip. One person learns something relevant to his or her interests, before choosing to share that information with the people in his or her circle of acquaintances. Some of the people belonging to a group will read it and remain silent, while others will actively share that information with the people in their groups. Thus, something of interest to one person can spread to maybe a dozen people with the most robust connections to that original source. Social media is far superior to its word of mouth predecessor when spreading information because of its unmatched speed and quantity of networks. In part, this is because people can communicate faster using the Internet rather than speaking person-to-person. More importantly is the ease of sharing information to people who have similar interests. Combine that with the Internet’s international reach and speed and you have a network that is much more capable of spreading information than its offline predecessors ever did, making it both a curse and a blessing for businesses.

How Businesses Can Use Social Media to Increase Sales

Businesses can use social media to communicate in much the same manner as consumers do online. However, social media’s real value for businesses lies in its potential for building their brands. Since brands are one of the most useful tools for securing sales, this means that social media can help businesses increase their revenues without a corresponding increase in expenses. To sum up the concept, a business’s brand is its perception in the public consciousness. Positive impressions result in more potential customers because more people will be inclined to approach the business over its competitors due to confidence, trust and familiarity with the brand. Businesses can create a positive impression through its interaction with its customers, some of whom will pass information about their experiences on to their friends (the new word of mouth marketing if you will). With the popularization of social media, this means that each and every business interaction a company has with its customer has the potential to exert a far-reaching rewards or consequences on its image and its revenue-earning operations.

How Different Social Media Sites Provide Different Benefits to Businesses

It is remember to note that even though all social media sites can be used for brand-building, each one is unique, meaning that it provides a unique selection of benefits to businesses. For example, both LinkedIn and OpenForum focus on businesses, meaning that B2B businesses have a much easier time reaching their intended audience with their posts and marketing campaigns. In contrast, a social media site such as Google+ pages and Google Places provides businesses with a more competitive environment because of how Google prioritizes local results. However, none of these social media sites can match Facebook when it comes to its tremendous potential. Facebook has more than a billion users so tapping into that audience is a marketers dream. Reaching the right audience is difficult in such a target-rich environment, but businesses that do their homework and succeed can tap into a rich and rewarding resource.

Conclusion

Understanding that businesses can benefit from using social media is not the same as being able to use a said medium for that precise purpose. Even businesses with extensive experience using social media to secure sales are always able to benefit from an outside perspective on its usage. For these businesses, there is a convenient solution in the form of sales coaching. In fact, sales coaching from skilled and experienced experts might be one of the easiest methods for turning the useful tool that is social media into an outstanding one.

By Peter Marino, owner of the content marketing firm in NYC, reelWebDesign.com.