We get it; your business is your baby. You want it to grow and be successful, but like a lot of parents, you’re not exactly sure which strategy will get you there. In theory, small business social media marketing is simple, right? Even your grandma is using Facebook. However, the reality of running an effective social media marketing campaign has smacked more than a few small business owners in the face.
So, keep on reading for best practices to successfully market your baby…er, business.
Be Consistent
Consistency is first on the list for a very good reason –this is where most business owners who choose to go it on their own will fail immediately. They’ll shoot out the gates with guns a blazin’, annoy the small amount of followers they have, then fall off the face of the internet for six months.
While it varies by industry, a good rule of thumb is to post on each social outlet no less than two times/week and no more than seven times/week. Consistent posting will keep your brand in front of your audience on a regular basis, without alienating them. [bctt tweet=”Consistent posting will keep your brand in front of your audience on a regular basis, without alienating them.” username=”kreativelement”]
Do More Than Just Sell
While the end goal is to achieve bottom line, financial impacts through sales and visibility, it’s important to offer a good balance of information, sales, and engagement. When every post is aimed at sales, you will turn your audience off pretty quickly.
While it’s proven that the vast majority of social media users don’t mind being sold to on social media, that’s not why they created a profile. Ask yourself; What do I share? What do I like? Why do I follow? Then do that, even if it only loosely relates to your product or service. It’s about getting your name, brand, and logo in front of more people.[bctt tweet=”Social media is about getting your name, brand, and logo in front of more people.” username=”kreativelement”]
Repurpose Your Content
Content doesn’t grow on trees, so be sure to recycle it. When you write a blog post, it can be turned into a checklist, email blast, ebook, video, or multiple social media posts. There’s no reason not to squeeze every last drop out of your content.
Engage With Your Audience
With all of these great social media publishing platforms, it is very tempting to schedule your posts and go on auto-pilot. But, you’re doing yourself and your business a disservice by neglecting to engage with your audience. Every morning you should spend a matter of minutes replying, liking, following, leaving comments, etc.
Remember, social media is a two-way street. You get to speak to your audience, but you have to be there to listen when they have something to say.
Get Visual
We actually make it a goal to use images, GIFs, or videos for just about every single social media post we generate. Adding a visual aspect not only increases engagement, but your audience processes messages with images faster than text alone.
Well, there’s plenty more where that came from, but it’s a start. While using social media is a breeze, small business social media marketing isn’t quite as simple. Start with these best practice tips and be sure to give us a call at 402-557-5894 if you have any questions, or if you find that you might need a partner in crime to help you run your social media strategy –either way, we’re here.