Business Growth Plan: Become a social business

Over a three-week period, we are publishing daily tips from Britain’s fastest-growing companies on how to grow your business. 

Tip six in the Real Business three-week Business Growth Plan is for you to become a “social business”, putting social media at the heart of your business.

Social media now needs to become a part of everything that you do – your business strategy, objectives, customer service, and growth plan.

“Social media isn’t just about marketing,” explains Andrew Gerrard, a social and digital media consultant at Exeter-based Like Minds. “You have to try and develop your entire business culture around it.”

If you’re worried about what the ROI is with social media, don’t. Many businesses struggle to measure a clear black/white return on social media. 

But this is the wrong way to think of social media. It shouldn’t be a “tag-on” that you try to quantify, it should be an integral part of your business. Being a social business is as important as having a phone or the internet – it’s part of the fabric of your business.

“Develop yourself as a social business rather than an organisation that does ‘a bit of social media marketing’,” adds Gerrard. “This will leave you in a better position to engage with your customers, and it will drive your business forward and the profits up.”

So there you have it: embrace social media, become a social business, grow to the next level. QED.

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