Social media, now more important than ever

Businesses like restaurants and retail stores, that rely heavily on foot traffic, have been hit especially hard financially since the start of the global pandemic. They are not the only ones being impacted. Many businesses, across a variety of industries, are struggling and it’s uncertain how long it will be before things return to some semblance of “normal.”

What is certain is that business leaders need to find new ways of reaching customers and, thanks to social media, many companies are utilizing it effectively to help keep current customers and  reach out to new customers. For many businesses, this is a way for them to get by until foot traffic can return. For savvy businesses leaders, it’s more than that. It’s a way to create a whole new way of doing businesses that goes beyond just trying to survive but, instead, thrive during these uncertain times.

To make the transition, it’s vital to recognize how social media has evolved from simply a social app between friends and family to an entirely new way for businesses to reach out and connect directly with customers.

Think about this. In the span of less than 16 years, platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest among others have become the new powerhouses for communication, advertising and promotion. Today, there are more than 3.2 billion active daily users. That’s nearly half of the world’s population actively using social media for a multitude of reasons including for entertainment, to get their news or to shop. Facebook alone has more than 2 billion monthly users, and the evolution of social media has taken customer engagement to a new level. 

The reason is the ability to segment your audiences into meaningful groups based on their individual preferences. This allows you to create tailored content specifically designed for each segment. Plus, segmenting audiences allows you to build rapport and generate a sense of community by members within that segment.

As audience segmentation grows in use, so too will personalized social media marketing. This content, predominantly videos, is customizable and driven by relevancy to each specific segments. Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat utilize this capability and, it’s proven successful, generating higher click-through rates than traditional ads.

Ultimately, that’s the goal you want to achieve which is to drive audiences to click through from the ad to your website where they can learn more and schedule an appointment or make a purchase. By lasering in on these segmented audiences by tailoring your content, you can also create your next generation of customers 

Written by:

Cole Buergi, vice president of business development,, Leonard & Finco Public Relations