Social Media for Small Business
Your products have been launched and your website is ready to go. It’s time to promote your business!
And one of the best ways to do so would be to leverage the attention of the 20.5 million Australians who use social media.
We’ve come up with the following 12 tips explaining how to use social media for small businesses.
1. Identify Your Audience
Before you market your business on social media, you’ll have to determine who your audience is.
For businesses with an existing following, many social media platforms will show you demographics like the gender and location of your followers. This can help you design content that you think these people would want to see.
If your business is new to social media, take time to strategize with your team about who you would like to attract. Create a few ideal social media personas who would be following you.
2. Choose the Right Platforms
Once you have a better understanding of who your audience is, you’ll need to choose the platforms that they use.
In Australia, your best bet is Facebook. Six out of 10 Australians use Facebook, and half of Australians check their Facebook every day.
Youtube is a close second with one in two Australians using it regularly, while one in three Australians uses Instagram.
3. Set Goals
Dedicating time and resources to a social media campaign is pointless if you don’t have a reason to do so.
What are you trying to accomplish by using social media? Maybe you’re trying to generate more sales in the short term. You also could simply be looking to establish a community that loves your brand.
Whatever your social media mission is, make sure to set SMART goals to get there. That is: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.
4. Look at Your Competition
One way to determine the do’s and dont’s of how to promote your small business on social media involves looking at your competitors.
Think of ways you can improve on the posts they have done well, and analyze the ones they haven’t.
How can you use the actions of your competitors to determine your own social media best practices?
5. Creating a Posting Schedule
Establish your brand as a relevant source of information by creating a posting schedule.
Releasing information at the same time of day each week will build a stronger relationship with your followers, as they will anticipate your next post.
It will also give you time to release quality content rather than scrambling to find something to post at the last minute.
6. Use Analytics
Designing and uploading content is the first step to promoting your small business on social media. After you have a steady stream of content, though, you’ll need to figure out what’s working and what’s not.
Use analytics to learn more about the success of your social media strategy. You can track things like;
- followers
- likes
- impressions (how many times people saw what you posted)
- mentions
- conversions
- subscribers
Use an analytic method that aligns with your goals. Many social media platforms offer basic analytics tools, but you’ll need to invest in social media analytic software for more detailed information.
7. Research Hashtags
Hashtags were once viewed as the holy grail of social media. Although they have died down in popularity, well-researched hashtags still can increase your reach.
A few well-selected hashtags may be enough to get your post in the eyes of a few influencers will who share your content.
The trick is not to overload on hashtags or choose ones that are too common. Look for a few specific ones that you can include naturally in the copy of your post.
8. Focus on Visuals
The first thing that your profile visitors will notice is what your feed looks like, especially on platforms like Instagram or Youtube.
Users of these platforms often take the time to make posts fit a coherent theme, unlike more casual platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
No matter what platform you use for your social media advertising, you should try to make every post pleasing to the eye. Without aesthetic content, viewers will likely skip past your captions and leave your page shortly after.
9. Mix up Content
While your audience should expect a consistent posting schedule and type of content from your brand, there are still ways to keep your posts from being boring.
Integrate different types of content including videos, photographs, graphic designs, and user-generated content to liven up your social media profile.
Use content from your website by linking blog posts to your social media.
Mixing up content will give you an idea of what your followers like to see the most on each platform.
10. Get Your Team on Board
Social media is all about building community, and the first place to start is with your team.
Every department in your business, from your sales team to your customer service representatives, is crucial to your social media because they are a part of your overall brand.
Include your team in decisions about how you’d like to portray yourself since they’re the ones that customers will be regularly interacting with.
11. Use Paid and Free Content
With a great social media strategy, you’ll generate lots of organic traffic. However, if want that extra boost, there’s no harm in starting an ad campaign.
Ad campaigns can be a great way to extend your reach after you’ve already built up a stable following. If your focus is too ad-heavy in the beginning, you won’t have established yourself as a credible social media presence yet.
12. Don’t Do it All Yourself
You’re already busy enough leading a team and running a small business. For the best success on social media, you’ll need to create a department dedicated to social media efforts or hire an outside team.
And make your social media marketing strategy easier for your team by re-using content. That blog post you just uploaded to your website could be a great source for your next Instagram caption.
Social media for small businesses is just one of the ways that your company can establish its brand identity and create a community. Creating a cohesive transition between website visitors and social media followers will make the experience that much better for your customers.
