5 Reasons Social Media can be The Great Equalizer

5 reasons smaller companies should aggressively use social media campaigns to level the playing field with larger competitors.

1. Social Media is Free (time consuming)

2. Brand Curation

3. Brand Advocacy

4. Become Go-To Industry Expert

5. Interactive Exchanges

With 75% of the population on various Social Media platforms, huge rewards are possible for companies who 'get it right'...and a company or division of any size can 'get it right' without a huge budget.

1. Social Media is Free (but time-consuming)

Costs involved with social media campaigns are relatively small and mostly internal (time). Unlike traditional media options, social media platforms are free to use and each functions universally regardless of company size. With 244 million user profiles in the United States alone, your brand messaging and initiatives can reach as many or more viewers than a competitor 10 times the size.

2. Brand Curation

A curator provides context and gives a brand significance. This is not an influencer endorsement. It is careful selection of industry influential information that your audience should know about your brand and/or products. Curation allows your social media pages to tell the ongoing story of your brand/products in a meaningful way that helps the audience understand why you matter.

3. Brand Advocacy

Brand advocacy can be broken into four groups; influencers, employees, customers and corporate partners. All four groups can help advance your brand at a relatively low cost.

Influencers are social media users who actively support your brand and have a significant following on one or more social platform. They can advance your brand through paid endorsements or organic interest, also referred to as 'earned content'.

Employees are experts about your brand. Their inside knowledge can be a useful advocacy tool for your company. Establish 'social media guidelines' and turn them loose!

Customers are the most authentic advocates because they don't have a vested interest in your success; their support is 100% genuine. Interact positively with them on social media and most will reciprocate.

Corporate partners can provide access to untapped audiences and multiply your brand's reach. With the social nature of social media, having strategic partners who share your content is a win/win situation.

4. Become Go-To Industry Expert

Providing or sharing content your audience wants to consume is vital on social media. If your account(s) is seen as a source of industry expertise with new and interesting content, your company or group will have a winning social strategy at a very low cost.

5. Interactive Exchanges with Customers

A single person sharing a message from your company could reach hundreds or even thousands of people at virtually no cost. Interacting with your customers via social media dramatically increases the frequency of their sharing your messages.

Interaction is also a low-cost source of immediate feedback on your brand/products, and overtime will increase your followers.

Get these five areas right and you will level the playing field!