Are you wondering why your business needs a social presence? We get it. First you’re thinking, what’s the point? There’s no money to be made making friends or followers on social networks and it’s flat out time-consuming. Pinning random photos and creating social status posts seems all too obligatory, and dare I say, trendy. After all, there are more important things to do on the “business” side of things. Wrong.

If I told you that many of your customers and prospects interacted and communicated in the social space would you invest in having a presence there? This is why your company needs a social presence. (Because let’s face it, you still might need a little convincing.)

1. Your customers expect it: The first and foremost reason your business needs a social presence is because your customers expect you to have one. While you’re busy working behind closed doors making progress or advances on your products and company, your consumers are busy Googling you, checking out your social pages, and trying to make some sort of emotional connection to your brand. If they search for your business and find no blog, no Facebook page, and nothing on Twitter, they’ve made the assumption that your company is not big enough nor important enough to have a social presence. Is that really the impression you want to make?

2. Engagement: There are rules to engagement. If you want to convert your leads into consumers you need to give them what they want. A relationship. It’s crucial that business owners have a keen grasp on emotional intelligence and leverage that knowledge to create meaningful connections with their audience. It’s not enough to sell a product anymore. Social media is the most widely used form of communication today. Even if you aren’t tending to that end of the business relationship, most companies are.

3. Responsive: Having social presence is not just about building relationships, it’s also about maintaining and nurturing them. Your consumers want to know that they have an influence on your brand and that you’re responsive to their concerns and opinions. When readers like your posts or share relevant information to their own groups, you become a source of credibility because you’ve responded to an inquiry, concern, topic, or event.

3. Awareness: Having a social presence keeps you informed on the latest happenings in your industry. If you want to have a sought-out reputation for your product or service you need to keep tabs on your current competition. Industry leaders are usually active on social ladders and there’s a good reason for it. Being aware of changes and current events shows that you’re passionate about your brand and, in addition to being informed, you’re probably leading trends and making some changes.

4. Knowledge is Power: Checking out the social profiles of your fans and followers will provide valuable insights on the demographics of your brand. You can effectively use this knowledge to plan future marketing strategies, as well as in product development. Understanding your target consumers’ interests and hobbies will provide ideas for blogs and website content that will also grow your social presence, enforcing your authority.

If you’re still wondering why your business needs a social presence, remember this. A strong social presence is an intuitive and engaging way to respond to your audience. It’s a powerful key in understanding your industry and in the overall branding of your business.

Companies that pay attention get paid. Simple as that.