If you haven’t taken advantage of social media yet to boost your small business, you’re missing out on one of the most inexpensive and incredible ways to find new customers.
Statistics show that as of January 2022, there are 4.62 billion social media users across all platforms. Promoting your business on the digital channel where people spend most of their time means you can reach a vast audience while increasing brand awareness and driving traffic to your website.
Top social media platforms in 2022:
- Facebook: 2.91 billion monthly active users
- YouTube: 2.2 billion monthly active users
- Instagram: 2 billion monthly active users
- TikTok: 1 billion monthly active users
- LinkedIn: 810 million monthly active users
- Twitter: 436 million monthly active users
- Pinterest: 431 million monthly active users
- Reddit: 430 million monthly active users
- Snapchat: 319 million monthly active users
- Quora: 300 million monthly active users
Not sure how to start with social media marketing for your business? We’ve got your back! Below, we’ll share practical tips to increase your brand’s social media presence and make the most of the top-performing social platforms.
1. Choose the right social media site and dominate it.
We understand that as a start-up or small business, you want to be present on all social media platforms. But you don’t have to be everywhere. We advise you focus on the networks that can serve your needs and where your target customers usually hang out.
For example, choose Facebook if you want to generate leads and communicate easily with people. Its very own Messenger allows you to foster lasting customer relationships.
If you run any business with visual aspects, like food service or photography, Instagram and Pinterest are your best platforms. If you want to target professionals and B2B customers, pick LinkedIn. Meanwhile, if your target market is a younger demographic, TikTok is the perfect channel.
2. Create a social media content calendar.
Social media content calendars don’t only help you keep organized, but they also ensure you have well-thought-of content planned out and ready so that you won’t miss days. Remember, consistency is the key to a successful social media marketing strategy.
By sticking to a content calendar, you can prepare original and relevant posts in advance instead of publishing repeated content that’s no longer working for your business.
You can use this customizable social media content calendar template from Hubspot to get started. This will help you plan out your content and the time and platforms they will be published on. However, if you’re too busy to build your calendar, you can always hire a social media marketing agency. They can create and schedule your posts on your behalf and even help you manage multiple social media accounts.
3. Use visual content.
Social media posts with images or videos generate more views, likes, and comments than those without—and it’s obvious why. Visual content stands out better on social media feeds and grabs people’s attention. Using great visuals also makes it easier for businesses to share more information in a single post.
“Attention spans are short so be sure to add photos and videos to your social content,” says Carol Roth, a successful business advisor and New York Times bestselling author. “It will boost engagement and is perfect for businesses with products to show off. If you have a service-based business, consider a photo with words or a photo that complements your text. And don’t overlook visually-oriented platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.”
Some of the visual content that works well on social media are infographics, memes, GIFs, product photos, and screenshots. You can also take advantage of in-app features like IG Stories and Reels to attract customers.
4. Use social media management tools.
Today, there are several social media management tools that can help you with scheduling and automation. Hootsuite, Heropost, and Buffer are some of those you can consider using. These tools will save you time, especially if you already have tons of tasks on your plate.
Here are the other ways a social media management tool can benefit you:
- It will be easier to manage multiple social media pages.
- You can stay active on social media.
- You can schedule your posts ahead of time.
- You can monitor relevant content and keywords.
- You can send out automated messages or replies.
- You can quickly analyze your social media performance.
When selecting the right tool for your business, you may want to consider its features, pricing, user experience, analytics, security, and customer support. We suggest you start a free trial for your top choice to ensure it can truly help you with your social media marketing efforts.
5. Engage with customers.
Let’s not forget the real essence of social media: socialization. Although your goal for using social media is to sell your business, you should still encourage engagement and interaction. And that isn’t just about posting content that people will enjoy but actually communicating with your audience.
You may comment on their posts, participate in their conversations, ask and answer questions, publish polls, address complaints, and express your appreciation. Doing so will help you gain your customers’ trust and ensure your posts will be shown to more people.
“The key thing with Facebook is to remember that the algorithm they use rewards posts that have interaction,” says Adam McCloskey, Associate Director of Florida SBDC at UWF. “If a business posts something but no one responds, then Facebook won’t show it to anyone.”
Social media has transformed from a fun channel to communicate with family and friends to one of the most effective digital marketing tools to promote your brand. With new business features being rolled out regularly, it’s a platform worth investing your time and effort into.
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