In a few clicks, you can start connecting and growing your business. Yet, I can hear you say YES BUT…’That takes time and we don’t have any spare time in our day to worry about Social Media!’

Unfortunately, whether we like it or not social media is here to stay! But few plantscapers are on social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram. If they are, they are not approaching it with a solid strategy e.g. who has liked and shared posts on the IPA Facebook page?

Emily Shephard, from Tropical Plant Rentals tropicalplantrentals.com.au and a member of IPA is ‘Social Savvy’. And understands the benefits of using social media in our ever-evolving world.

I invited Emily to share some of her thoughts on what are the advantages of using social media.

Benefits of Social Media for Small Businesses

🌿 Social media is a marketing strategy that allows you to connect with your customers. You know who loves your business because they choose to follow your social media account. The bonus is that you can attract new customers, get feedback and build customer loyalty.

🌿 Building your brand, increasing awareness and humanise your brand. Connecting with interested leads, you can expose them to your brand. It is also the perfect way to show your clients what’s happening behind the scenes.

🌿 Social media allows you to gain valuable information about your customers. That will help you make smarter business decisions.

For example –

Social listening allows you to discover how people feel about your company and brand. You can uncover conversations about your business. Answer questions about your services and products. You can also observe what other Interior Plantscapers are doing and exchange ideas.

🌿 Social media is a great catalyst for driving traffic to your website. Most social media platforms allow you to post content with a link to your website. When you create compelling content, you can entice your audience to click on the link. This directs them to your site, where they can learn more about your business. The increased traffic to your website improves your SEO ranking. Traffic is the key!

🌿One of the biggest advantages of social media marketing is that it is 100% free to start. None of the largest platforms have signup fees of any sort, so the only investment you’ll need to make is your time.

🌿If you want to go beyond organic posting, there is an option to run paid advertisements. Each social platform offers its own form of paid advertising. Bonus is that Facebook helps you to work out a target audience and makes it easy to use. It is also another excellent way to tap into new customer demographics.

🌿There are millions of people using social media platforms. It is an opportunity for your business to reach a large pool of people who many want your products or services. And to connect with other inspiring business owners.

Don’t get me wrong there is also disadvantages of being on social media. But we will cover that in another blog until then why not give social media a try – its free so you have nothing to lose!

And don’t forget to like and share posts from your industry association FB page. @interiorplantscapeassociation

Written and interview with Emily Shepherd TPR by:

Elaine Tunn