There’s no denying that good marketing is the key to
business success, but many small businesses struggle with marketing simply due
to a lack of budget. But even without a lot of money to pour into marketing,
there is a lot you can do to help your small business grow.
Social media is an excellent low-cost option when it comes
to marketing. It allows you to spend as much or as little as you like while
still giving you access to millions of potential customers.
1. Decide What Social Media Channels Are Right
For You
Different social channels provide different benefits, but
trying to work with all of them as a small business will likely leave you with
lackluster content. Instead it is better to choose several social media
channels that will resonate most with your business practices and reach your
target audience.
Facebook certainly
has the largest reach and is excellent for sharing news, blog posts, and
reaching a large audience. Facebook also allows for remarkable customer
targeting that is easy to use.
Instagram is
becoming increasingly popular with younger social media users. Sticking to
specific filters can make it easier to keep your brand image consistent, and
hashtag campaigns can be very effective.
Twitter is still
a relevant platform with plenty of active users. It is a great way to share
concise information about your brand and an excellent place to engage with your
customers.
Pinterest is all
about saving content for the future. Use it to create boards that your
customers may be interested in. Pin some of your own content but also make sure
to pin plenty of other people’s content as well.
Youtube can be a
great option for businesses as well, especially if you sell products that would
benefit from how-to and installation videos.
2. Create A Schedule
Creating a social media schedule seems overwhelming, but it
will actually save you a lot of time in the end. How detailed it is will be up
to you. Start by brainstorming ideas of the content you want to share on your
social media pages.
You can then schedule your social media posts using free
tools like Hootsuite. This will take the
pressure off posting to social media manually and can make it much less
overwhelming.
Don’t forget to take some time to use social media
impulsively. You don’t want to let a schedule stop you from jumping in to
relevant conversations.
3. Vary Your Content
Make sure the content you are sharing across social media
isn’t only promotional. Not only will algorithms penalize this, but your
followers aren’t using social media to see photos of your products, they’re
using it to be entertained.
Use social media to engage with your customers. Give them a
taste of the work you do behind the scenes. Link them to guides that will help
them with their problems. Of course don’t forget to promote yourself, but that
shouldn’t be the bulk of your posts.
Sharing relevant content, even if it is from a competitor,
isn’t a bad idea either. It will show that you are committed to giving your
followers the best information out there.
4. Respond To Comments
Yes, replying to comments does take time, but comments mean
audience engagement, and the more engagement your posts have on social media,
the more people will see them.
Posts with a lot of likes and comments show that the content
has value. Communicating with customers using the comments is an excellent way
to build conversation and drum up interest in your brand and products.
Remember, social media isn’t about selling, it is about
being social. Connecting with your audience builds trust in your brand which
should bring about increased sales.
5. Repurpose Your Content
If you need to sit down to create brand new content for
every single social media platform, you’ll never get anything done. Learning
how to repurpose your content multiple times and across multiple channels is
essential.
For example, if you’ve created a “How-To” guide, you may
start by linking to it on your various platforms. You can also create an
infographic based on this information that can be shared on Facebook and
Pinterest. Then, make a video that goes into further details that you link to
via Twitter and Facebook.
This cuts down on the amount of original content you need to
create from scratch.
Of course these are only a few basic tips to get you
started. There’s a lot to learn about using social media for business, but
trial and error is all part of the process.
