Goodbye pound key, hello hashtag! There’s no denying that the dawn of social media has reshaped our entire social landscape, from slang to trends to the spread of information and, of course, marketing for your business. These days, it’s rare to find a company without a social media profile – for good reason. In a time where potential customers spend hours scrolling through the Instagram homepage, why not meet them where they’re at? Of course, this is only one of the many reasons why running social media can set your business up for success. So, if you’re just starting out and you aren’t sure how to navigate the world of likes, shares, and #digitalmarketing, then fear not! This week’s blog has your back . . .

Benefits of Social Media

Social media is so much more than food pics, outfits of the day, and viral dances. It’s also an important tool that can help your business with:

  • Brand Awareness and Reach: Don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. By posting fun, shareable content about your brand, you can encourage viewers to share the word with their own following! The result? You’ll be able to reach an even wider audience of potential customers with an interest in your product, service, or industry. And, with this wide reach, having social media on your side can help a small business compete with a larger company! 
  • Customer Service: Think of social media as an extension of your customer service. It’s a direct way for you to quickly talk to customers, address their questions, and engage in conversations at any time, in any place.
  • Understanding Your Competitors: So it’s probably not the best move to walk into a competitor’s business and spy on their interactions with customers from the corner of the store. However, you CAN take a look at their social media profiles to find out what’s working well for them, what isn’t, and what you can include in your own social media strategy to capture your audience’s attention.
  • Driving Sales: From advertising opportunities to e-commerce options, many social media platforms can offer you a cost-effective way to promote products and drive sales outside of your store or website. Plus, your profile can be a great place to test audience reception by posting about new product prototypes, creating polls to get audience feedback, or offering presales for upcoming launches.

Now, here’s what you can do to make the most out of your business’s social profile:

Find the Platform that Works for You

Social media isn’t one size fits all. With so many different platforms on the market, it’s not surprising that they each have their own niche and, as a result, they each attract different audiences. When choosing where you want to build your social media profiles, consider who your target audience is and what kind of messages you want to share. That way you can make sure that the platform you use is aligned with your audience demographic and business goals.

For instance, if you’re a restaurant trying to promote your new menu, then you’ll probably want to use highly visual platforms such as Instagram or Pinterest to share photos of your food. If you have a retail store, Facebook offers in-app shopping so followers can buy from your website without having to leave the platform. And, if you want to show product demos, consider video-based platforms such as YouTube or TikTok. At the same time, keep in mind that if your target audience is made of younger generations, then Instagram and TikTok will be your best bet whereas older generations tend to find themselves spending more time on Facebook or Pinterest.

Create a Content Schedule

Running a business is already hard work, and the last thing you’ll want is to step away from it every hour to run social media. Instead, consider using a scheduling software to help manage all your accounts from one place. In doing so, you’ll only have to dedicate a single, daily time block to work on posting content rather than spending too much time on it or, worse, forgetting about social media entirely. When you work on your social media calendar, be sure to think about:

  • What type of content you’re posting
  • The date it will be posted
  • Which platforms you want to post it to
  • What caption, hashtags, or links you want to include in the post
  • What time of day your audience will be most active
  • If this post will be part of a larger campaign

Consistency is Key

Not only does each social media platform have different features and different audiences, but they also require that you post different times throughout the week. For example, apps like TikTok and Instagram work best when you post different types of content 3-5 times a week whereas X, Facebook, or LinkedIn encourage you to post one or twice a day. The reason why has to do with algorithms. Social media algorithms are constantly evolving and the more you stay active and engaged, the more these platforms will reward you. Of course, this can be a lot to keep up with! Being consistent doesn’t just mean posting everywhere all at once, it also means that your posts are consistent with the brand voice, imagery, and messaging no matter the platform. So if it’s easier for you to maintain a consistent image and consistent schedule with only 1-2 platforms, then turn your focus to them rather than stretching yourself too thin.

Quality Over Quantity

There are plenty of ways that you can create valuable, engaging content that will capture followers’ attention. For example, you can create captivating visuals, short videos, or even partner with influencers in your industry to boost your audience reach. Just remember that everything you do on social media is an extension of your brand. When trying to captivate an audience, don’t make the mistake of jumping on every single trend on an app! Always make sure that what you post aligns with your business’s values and brand image. Plus, if you find yourself struggling with content creation, you could always work with freelancers, third-parties, or an in-house team of social media managers, copywriters, graphic designers, editors, etc. to build out your social media profiles.

Engage With Your Audience

 Social media is a two-way street. One of the greatest things about it is that you can engage directly with customers – and potential customers – in real-time, even if they aren’t at your storefront. As a result, it’s important to stay engaged with your audience by responding to their comments, questions, and direct messages as soon as possible. Additionally, be sure to start conversations yourself by bantering with followers, liking their comments, live streaming, or posting polls and quizzes. By creating opportunities for engagement you do more than sell your products or services, you create a community. In turn, this converts would-be shoppers into loyal customers while making your brand feel more authentic. Not to mention that audience interaction also gives your profile a boost when it comes to social media algorithms, making it more likely that your posts will show up on followers’ feeds.

Pay Attention to Analytics

 If you have a business account on social media, then you should also have access to the app’s analytics. This is a great tool to use as it will give you information such as your audience’s demographics, post impressions, link interaction, and more. With this information at your fingertips, you’ll then be able to measure your return on investment and figure out what content is working versus what isn’t. Once you have a clear idea of how to resonate with your audience, be ready to adapt your social media strategy or experiment with what you’re posting. Similarly, if you notice that your posts are performing better on one platform over another, consider switching your focus so that you can devote more time to the profiles that are delivering results.

Summary

Gone are the days where “DM” and “selfie” meant nothing. Social media has proved that it’s here to stay and, in the process, it changed the world around us forever. That’s not a bad thing though! Social media has also opened the door to new opportunities for audience reach, sales & marketing, and brand interaction. With the right profile, a strong strategy, and some creative posting skills, you can jump on board with social media and start leading your business toward success!