Social media has a massive impact on a small business’s bottom line. There’s a lot to gain from profitable relationships to spread the word about your products and services.
Although most small businesses aggressively use social media to promote their brand, the results are often lacking. Social media is a populated world, with platforms like Facebook having more than 2 billion users. Not making the right connections and failing to own your social media personality can stump your social media efforts instead of fostering growth.
Finding a successful social media strategy can be the catalyst for forming long-term business growth. When you find your small business in a period of change, it is necessary to reconsider your future direction with the help of a qualified business valuer.
We’ve compiled the five most dominant strategies of today to help your brand break ground in the world of social media.
1- Have a Defined Game Plan
Instead of aimlessly posting on Instagram or creating a Facebook page for your small business, create a solid game plan. This starts with giving your social media marketing a vision and direction.
Here are some tips to nudge you in the right direction:
- Set SMART Goals. Even if you have a single goal for the first few months, define it. A great way to do this is through the SMART framework. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. For example, if you want to increase your organic following on Instagram by 10% in three months, make sure it’s attainable and realistic. Also, base your goals on metrics that have a genuine impact on your small business. Meaning, you have to think about increasing engagement rather than simply getting fake traction in the form of likes and comments.
- Research the competition: This doesn’t mean you have to steal your competitor’s ways and methods. Instead, perform competitive analyses to build strategies consistent with your business’s unique needs and objectives. Not only will this help reduce your learning curve but also help develop a targeted marketing strategy.
- Create a social media calendar: Your content marketing approach as a small business should be opportunistic since you have limited resources. Finding ways to post the right content at the right time on the proper channels can fast-track your growth (more on this later).
Related: Best Time To Post On Instagram
2- Build a Presence Across Several Platforms
Even if you have limited resources, you have to cast a wide net over social media.
It’s great to have a Facebook page, but it won’t be enough to make a real impact. So before you rush to create a profile on every social media platform, it’s essential to understand your target market. Here is a general overview of how the market is segmented across different platforms to get you started:
- LinkedIn: Best for B2B companies. A huge chunk of leads generated by B2B companies come from LinkedIn.
- Snapchat: Snapchat has a young audience, primarily centered on Generation Z users. So, if you’re targeting Boomers, Snapchat may not make the most sense.
- Facebook: Facebook is still the fastest-growing network, with more than 1.88 billion active users. You’ll find almost every demographic on the platform. So, you’ll have to use Targeted Facebook Ads and other tools to reach out to the right people.
- Twitter: Most of Twitter’s population is teenagers and seniors. People visit Twitter to follow news events, start social trends, and advocate social causes. So, it’s a platform that’s best for building a brand image instead of engaging in promotional activities.
- TikTok: Businesses use TikTok to create snack-able short-form content and connect with millennial influencers. The platform’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years.
- Pinterest: Pinterest is a female-dominated platform. May brands who are selling feminine products are leveraging Pinterest to expand their customer base.
- YouTube: YouTube is the epicenter of Millennial activity. Businesses also integrate YouTube Marketing with other channels, such as websites and blogs, to diversify the content mix.
Related: How To Become A Facebook Influencer
3- Build Lasting Relationships
Social Media gives you the unique opportunity to connect with your customers and build personal and intimate relationships over time. One way of doing this that has garnered traction in recent times is influencer marketing.
Many big brands are teaming up with influencers on Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms. A prime example of this is Nike. In one campaign, Nike collaborated with “What’s Inside,” a father-son-run YouTube channel, to promote their new line of Nike shoes.
The best part: Influencer marketing doesn’t have to break the bank.
Related: What is Influencer Marketing?
Instead of connecting with influencers beyond your financial reach, connect with micro-influencers. Micro-influencers give affordable access to their dedicated following, helping your small business manage influencer marketing on a budget.
There are also many other ways you can use to foster customer relationships. For example, you can use Instagram polls and stories to interact with users directly.
4- Use The Right Tools
As a small business with limited resources, you have to take advantage of social media tools to boost productivity. This will allow you to break ground social media without a full-scale social media team. Some of your favorite social media tools are:
- Hootsuite: An effective tool you can use to centralize all social media communications, including mentions, in one dashboard. This way, you can interact with your followers without having to log in to each of your social media accounts individually.
- Hootsuite Insights: Hootsuite gives detailed reports of key social media performance indicators to give you a bigger picture of your social media efforts. It’s great for tracking your performance across social media.
- Photo Editors: Don’t have a skilled workforce to create visually engaging content? Turn to Canva, VSCO, or other photo editing tools to get the job done.
Related: Related: Best Tools To Measure Social Media Engagement
5- Don’t Over-Promote
One misconception businesses have is that social media is like traditional advertising.
Sure, you have to leverage the power of social media to hold the attention of your customers. However, this doesn’t just happen with promotional ads. But also with content that people enjoy and want more on their social media feeds.
Follow the one-in-seven rule. For every promotional post, create seven content-based posts. In content based-posts, you can share anything from humorous memes to current events or client testimonials.
Related: Best Twitter Analytics Tools
Final Thoughts
As a small business, you need social media to stay relevant and build long-term growth. So focus on quality instead of quantity and get all the help you can get from social media tools, influencers, and other sources. The more you understand your audience, the better your social media marketing strategy will be.
