Social media has proved to be critical for businesses. With ‘digital’ as the new normal, we can see how it is a crucial tool to help businesses grow their brand awareness, visibility and customer base. And, women entrepreneurs should also use it to highlight the unique aspects of their businesses as well.
How important is social media for women entrepreneurs?
Over the last decade, there has been a shift in how business is done, and it’s largely through the grand entry of social media. There has also been a glaring increase in the number of women entrepreneurs too. And, during the pandemic, many home-grown businesses have flourished, thanks to social media.
Social media has become quite important for women entrepreneurs. Virtual market places have become the norm for businesses and consumers; and an increasing number of big and small businesses now use social media platforms (like Instagram or Facebook) to promote and sell their good/services almost exclusively. If you consider the impact and financial success of women entrepreneurs globally, you will find that much of it can be linked to unlocking opportunities online.
They are able to connect with other women entrepreneurs too. As new ventures increase so has the creative use of social media to promote everything. Right from fashion, real estate, IT, beauty and jewellery brands to home bakers and pay-per-consult fitness/astrologers, everything can easily be promoted.
In large women’s communities, they are now able to connect with each other to promote, network, support and access each other’s businesses from the comfort of their homes. This is something they could never have done at this scale without social media.
The key to building a successful business online is identifying and targeting the right audience. There is also a ‘trust’ factor that enables women to ride over the ‘noise’, harassment and clutter they often face online and, a common spirit to prop and build each other.
So, inclusivity, access, opportunity and the internet – are most definitely putting women entrepreneurship on the map; and it is definitely something that’s also having a positive
impact on economies around the world.
Social media – how it can solidify your presence as a businesswoman? Savvy businesswomen know that social media can serve many purposes simultaneously – marketing, branding and even customer service. Here are some tips on how you can use popular networking platforms, to both steer your business to success and build your customer base too:
• Connection and engagement: Use social media to connect with your ideal customers; and you can engage with them directly, get to know them and solicit their feedback to improve.
• Customer service: Social media gives you the opportunity to respond quickly to customers’ questions, complaints, and feedback. Fortunately, sometimes good customer service over social media can even turn a bad situation into a good one!
• Advertising: Many social media platforms offer inexpensive advertising options that can prove to be very effective.
• Branding: You can use social media to develop a voice and aesthetic for your brand – through content like photos, videos and posts.
• Research & data collection: You can use social media to gather customer data and research your competition. Thus in today’s data-driven world, you can gain a competitive edge!
• Track market trends: In marketing today, it’s important to keep up with trends. Hashtags, keywords and other trends are easy to monitor on social media.
• Networking: You can use social media to network and find support and mentoring from other women too.
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
Shree Lahiri
