7 Social Media Marketing Tips Good for Small Businesses
It’s no surprise today how social media has impacted the way we connect and interact with each other. Over the years, it has influenced consumers’ actions changing the marketing strategies of businesses. With over 3 billion people having social media accounts, it just makes sense that businesses have also taken up their marketing strategies into these digital platforms. If you are a small business and you are looking to widen your reach, bringing your marketing efforts to social media is the right step to do. In this post, we will talk about social media marketing tips for small businesses. If this perks up your interest, then keep on reading!
Why Use Social Media for Marketing?
The power of social media has peaked and now customers rely on what they see and read online before buying anything. Consumers seek out information about a product or service on their favorite social media channels, as well as keep an eye on what the influencers have to say about it. Advertising and marketing your business on social media can boost your company’s reputation and market reach.
Social media for small businesses is important, but 2020 has made it essential. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, small business owners have experienced financial hardships. Business owners resolved to create their online presence to reach out to their customers and keep their business afloat.
You can use social media to get your brand personality across your audience. You can also get to know your customers better here and answer their questions regarding your products and services while growing your business at the same time.
7 Social Media Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
For a small business with a limited budget and resources, marketing in social media can be a little daunting, but with these tips, we are going to share, this feat shouldn’t have to be.
Here are seven tips to help you get started.
Know your objectives and let them lead you
What are your top 3 marketing objectives? Evaluate them and find out how social media can aid you in achieving these objectives. Instead of chasing trends, start thinking of social media as a means to help you reach your objectives because if you don’t, you’ll just end up wasting your precious time. Social media is not just a “megaphone” for your business, it can be used as a tool to reach your marketing goals.
Know Your Target Audience
One reason why using social media for small businesses is very effective is that you can micro-target your audience. But before this, you have to know who your target audience is.
The best thing about social media is that most platforms give you access to your analytics and market data for free. This will help you learn who your customers are and how they behave on social media. Relevant social media metrics enable you to perform audits on your existing social media marketing approach. You can then turn these insights into actionable steps to shape your social media marketing efforts to reach your objectives.
Decide and Choose the Right Platforms For You
When you know your target audience, you’ll be able to deduce which social media platforms are the best for your business. This is important so you can direct your marketing efforts and budget to these specific platforms where they will be most effective. Take, for example, if your ideal audience is Gen Z and millennials, TikTok and Instagram will be the best platforms to spend your resources. Don’t forget to factor in the type of business you are running. If you are selling beauty products and clothing, Instagram will be definitely the place for you because they rely heavily on visuals.
Share Eye-Catching and Compelling Visuals
Posting great visuals is a prerequisite now when you venture into the world of social media, and this doesn’t only apply to Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. You should also have high-quality images on all platforms because these visuals influence your followers’ and viewers’ purchasing decisions, especially when your business leans to the fashion industry. If your content does not capture the viewer’s attention, they won’t stop scrolling to read your post. Even tweets benefit from a good graphic. Adding an image or a GIF is the simplest thing you can do so your tweet gets attention. Every business can tell its story through photos and videos, so showcase your brand through appealing visuals.
It’s Always Quality Over Quantity
The number of social media platforms can be overwhelming when you are just formulating out your marketing strategy, but keep in mind that quality content is always the key. Focus on your key platforms and create high-quality content that comes through to your audience as authentic and valuable. Social media marketing is all about connecting to your audience and building relationships. Be human, make your posts genuine and honest, and your audience will respond accordingly.
Show Appreciation
Know that social media is not just about you. It is not a monologue where you just talk about yourself and what your company is about. Social media is an opportunity for you to connect with other people and a chance for you to connect with people who have helped and supported you in business. You can use social media to show your thanks and appreciation to these people. You can give them thanks by recognizing their posts, whether liking or sharing them. Your gestures will be appreciated and your audience will continue to support you.
Schedule Your Content To Have More Time For Engagement
Create a social content calendar to keep you ahead of the game. You can use publishing tools to schedule your posts, and this will automate your social media work. This will save you so much time that instead of accessing your social media multiple times a day, you’ll only have to check it once a day. By automating your social media posting, you’ll have more time to actually grow and develop your business and focus on your revenue. You can outsource and hire a social media manager if you have the budget to handle these tasks for you.
Bonus tip: Track and Refine your Performance
As you execute your social media marketing strategy, keep track of what and what doesn’t work. Refine your efforts and performance so you can improve the results. Make use of the analytics tools to track the metrics that matter most to you. When you know how your strategy is working, look for more ways to improve. You can make small changes to boost your success gradually.
Being a small business doesn’t mean that you are limited to just doing what you are currently doing. Make use of these social media marketing tips to connect better with your audience, reach new potential customers, and increase your brand awareness. It can seem overwhelming at first, but you can always start small. With these tips, you can build your social media marketing efforts over time and grow your business.
