Five or six years ago, social media fell squarely into the 'nice to have' category. Something a business 'should probably do', but nothing that commanded the day-to-day attention of top executives or decision makers. Today, all of that has changed. Social media has gone from an afterthought to a baseline necessity. In July 2010, the research firm Yankee Group found that 'consumers want companies to be more engaged with social media, particularly in the realms of customer support and service.'

Here's why:

Accessibility

Think of the age-old stereotype of a 'big business.' What comes to mind? Chances are, it's words like 'faceless', 'unresponsive', 'distant' or 'uncaring.' The web has eroded that concept somewhat, but many customers still see unfamiliar businesses in exactly this way. Deep down, whether they say it or not, such customers expect companies to come up short when it matters most. Executed properly, social media can break down these barriers. The above mentioned research study found that 'over 70% of consumers want access to company experts and support via social media channels.'

In fact, consumers trust corporate information distributed via social channels more strongly. Don't fight the trend - embrace it! Make sure your most friendly, helpful and accessible employees are available to customers on Twitter, Facebook or any other social channel of importance.

Engagement

Customers also want to hear from companies more regularly (and not just for sales pitches.) Yankee Group found that '57% of customers feel company outreach via social media would improve their loyalty to that company.' Nor is it very difficult to see why. In his article People Are Cynical & What To Do About It, direct marketing expert Perry Marshall says:

'People may be cynical but they still crave trust. They still desperately want to have partners in business who will tell them the truth and keep their promises. If you can do this, you’ll keep your customers for a long time, and you’ll pick up a lot of customers from companies who do not keep their promises.'

Social media is well-suited for this kind of trust-building. By routinely pinging your audience with useful, entertaining or informative content, they come to see your company as a trusted ally rather than a purely self-interested business after nothing but their wallets.

Repetition

It cannot be said enough: people forget. No matter how effective your advertising is, most people wont recall the essence of your sales message after just one or two exposures. Social media counteracts this age-old business problem by connecting you with prospects and customers on a daily basis. Rather than hearing about your business only when a TV commercial comes on, customers who enjoy your social content will be reminded of your activities all the time.

This is immensely helpful, because you cannot always predict when a customer's 'itch' for your products will strike. A fully optimized social media campaign assures that when it does, your company springs to mind right away.

Attentiveness

Actively maintaining a Facebook or Twitter account says something about a company. Yes, it says that they're caught up with the times and aware of new trends. But more deeply, it says that they care about customer concerns. It says that they are attentive. A company that consistently interacts with prospects and customers on the web is one that can be trusted to swiftly address support problems, answer challenging questions or otherwise answer the bell when problems occur.

Partially, this ties in with being accessible. Social media helps re-assure skeptical buyers that your business cares and is in it for the long haul.

Competitive Advantage

Social media can also become a precious source of competitive advantage. Widespread as it now is, there are still many companies who erroneously believe 'this social media thing' is a dying fad. These companies would do well to remember that similar things were said about past innovations, including television, the automobile and the Internet itself. There is definitely an 'early adopter' advantage to being first (or one of the first) in your market to adopt social media on a wide scale.

By doing so, you will become privy to demographic information, product feedback and a whole host of other valuable data that would not have been forthcoming from any other source. Before long, you will not only realize sales benefits, but also (in all likelihood) understand your market and what makes it tick better than just about any other company in the field.