Social Media Marketing Tips For Small Businesses
If you are a small business navigating the world of social media, read on! Here we will tell you some of the best tips on social media marketing so you can make the most out of your online presence!
Top 5 social media marketing tips for small businesses:
We are a generation of digital relationships. Out of almost 8 billion people in the world, over half are active social media users.
It was not always like this. Actually, Internet access has never been as equal to social platform reach as it is today. There is no data needed to assume it is right, but the We are social annual report confirms what we’ve been feeling in our bones: social media are taking over the world. The number of Internet users has grown by 5,7% within the last year. Meanwhile, +13,1% of the population has got active on social platforms – and all the stats forecast that the trends will continue.
What does it mean for you? You better have a well-defined social media strategy for your small business, so your brand doesn't drown under competition. If you’re not there yet – worry not! This article will take you through the best social media marketing tips to gain a competitive advantage.
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Social Media for Small Business Owners: Blessing or a Curse?
The social media world can be overwhelming.
Too many platforms,
Too many accounts,
Too much content to prepare and publish
– and the landscape keeps getting bigger and more complicated.
Is it even possible to stand out from the billions of brands trying to do exactly the same thing?
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Well, if being the shiniest of all the stars in the social media sky is your goal, we must admit it’s quite an ambitious one. But, if you want to focus on addressing the right people at the right time, build a community of trusted clients, boost your sales, and support your business goals – in short, if you have clarity on your business objectives, then you are halfway there!
Just keep reading and you will find the most important social media tips for SMEs, so you can better understand the key to successful social media management for your small business.
Social Media Marketing Tips for SMEs
#1 Clarity on your Business Objectives
Let’s start with the most important thing to note: social media is a tool to make your business strategy happen. Not the other way round. What it means in practice is that you can’t have a successful Facebook page if you don’t know what ‘success’ means to your company.
The ultimate objective is always sales or leads.
So how can we get there via social media? To begin with, we need to make a list with all the key actions that lead to sales or leads - for example, if you are an eCommerce company, the first step to generate transactions is for users to visit your website or Facebook store. Hence, one of your main goals should be to use social media to drive traffic to your website. As a B2B company or a business professional, your goal is slightly different - you want people to contact you directly. Hence, your main CTA (call to action) should be for users to message you or call you.
Why is clarity on objectives important? Because you need to adjust your social media content accordingly.
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#2 Choose the Right Social Media Platforms for your Business
Which social media platforms should I use? This question can be a tough one. As you’re honing your social media strategy, you can choose a few that fits best with your organization. One is for sure, but two would be best: a Facebook page alone isn’t enough anymore, but being present on all the platforms is not a solution either.
The top five social platforms are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linkedin, and YouTube. WordStream shared a little bit about each platform in this article. But, it doesn’t mean that you have to use them all, or that you shouldn’t go for media that aren’t on this list. You should research which platforms your target audience is most active in. If your ideal client is under 25 years old, you may want to be present on TikTok. If you work in a B2B model, you most likely need a well-managed activity on LinkedIn.
Consider not only where your audience and your competitors are on, but also what kind of content you are able to share with your followers, and what are your resources. Do you have the capacity to create engaging, high-quality content for different channels? Social media content is often only one of plenty of daily tasks to be managed. Make sure you don’t put too much on your plate – it never works well.
The best advice for SMEs is to choose a maximum of 2-3 social media channels to start with. It’s good practice to make Facebook one of them, and adjust the others to your business needs and possibilities. Also, focusing your energy on one will make your community grow faster. Whenever it’s needed, you can redirect the people whose attention you’ve got to other channels.
#3 Find your Social Media Voice
Social media activity requires flexibility and consistency. But above all, it requires valuable content. How can you create winning social media content that will captivate your audience?
Answer the following questions to get started:
What do you stand for as an SME? What do you want to be known about?
Why are your customers buying your products or services?
How do your customers choose which product or service to buy?
How do your customers use your products or services?
Congratulations! you now have a list of social media content ideas to get started!
#4 Content is the King, and Consistency is the Queen
The next step is to develop and publish content consistently. Social media requires you to constantly show up, every single day of the week. Yes, you need to post 7/7.
Timing is also important - make sure that you understand your customers' routine and aim to post during the best-performing time of day.
Does format matter? In fact, yes, everything matters. However, what matters the most is the value you are communicating to your audience. Whether your communication is going to be via video, images, animations or simple text comes second.
#5 Catch Trends Early
It's undeniable that the social media landscape is constantly evolving. Always keep an eye on new channels, new features and new content formats. Never underestimate the future power of a new player. Remember that Facebook was once a challenger to MySpace, and Instagram was a tiny app with minor adoption.
We're not saying you should immediately jump in the second a new social media pops up and abandon the old ship, but don't be scared to partake in the trends should you see an increased uptake or shift in your audience towards the new platform. If you managed to discover a hot new channel and start experimenting earlier on, you'd be an expert way ahead of your competitors that are still figuring it out. Nevertheless, your first priority should be on managing your time, effort, and resources on your current thriving channel. And if you have the resources, start exploring new ones.
