30 years ago if you wanted to learn anything, you had a few very limited options. The best of which were maybe the library, a community college, and grandpa.
Today, of course, we have the collective knowledge of the world on the internet. And with the rise of social media, it is more accessible than ever.
Social media is a great platform for learning more about things that matter to your business. Social channels can repeatedly deliver relevant, usable information.
Putting that information to good use is where social media can show its value.
So what do you learn from social media? Probably more than you realize, and you’re probably learning about it sooner than most. Here’s some ways social media helps keep you on top of your game.
1. Current Business News
Social media keeps you abreast of all the latest news that pertains to your business or industry. Being connected to brands and experts in your field helps you learn what others are doing and allows you to immediately apply that learning to your business.
2. Exposure to Great Content
Social media consistently exposes you to the terrific content. From blog posts to videos to podcasts, social media delivers a wealth of ways to find content that can help you become more educated about what matters most in your industry.
3. Competitive Analysis
Staying ahead of your competition is vital to the success of any business. Using social media to educate yourself on what your competition is doing will help you keep your competitive advantage. You’ll instantly know any new information so you can quickly react, and you can identify areas of opportunity by filling in the gaps where competition doesn’t exist.
4. Idea Generation
By having access to thought leaders and industry experts through social media, there’s plenty of opportunities for exposure to great ideas. Social media can show you what’s working well for other businesses and give you ideas on what you can do to improve your business.
5. Identify Market Trends
Social media can be a great predictor of things to come. If there’s a lot of new conversation around a brand, product or service there’s good chance that it’s in the early stages of becoming more relevant. Knowing what is about to create buzz or be the next “big thing” can help you position your business to take advantage of that trend.
6. Discover Improvements for your Product or Service
Customer feedback, industry chatter and competitive analysis can help you identify areas for improvement for your business. Incorporating the latest techniques, tools or technologies into your business approach can help you discover potential improvements for your product or service.
7. Ways to Improve Customer Support
Watching how companies handle customer feedback, both positive and negative, can provide direction in how you handle your customer support both online and offline. By watching companies that provide great customer service and learning from those that mishandle their relationships, you can apply the most successful tactics or learn how to avoid potential pitfalls.
8. Event Notifications
If you enjoy attending industry events in person, there’s no better place to hear about them than through social channels. Seeing which ones are generating the most buzz and seeing which events the people you respect most are attending will help you decide the events most worthy of your consideration.
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With all the benefits that social media brings to the table, how often do you consider it a source of business education? What other ways has social media helped you learn and how has that impact your business?