Social media has taken over the world as one of the most popular digital activities in this past decade. Around the globe, over 3.5 billion people log onto a social media platform, with the most used ones being Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. That’s over half of the global population.
Social networking permeates every aspect of life. People wake up, check their phones and immediately go to check their notifications. Throughout the workday, employees are tempted to be on their phones. As people walk the streets, their heads are down to look at their phones.
When so much of the globe are using social media, it makes perfect sense for companies and small businesses to utilize this source to reach customers and boost sales. On average, internet users spend at least two hours per day on their phones. In that time, you could use your social media skills to engage with your audience and advertise your products to them.
Social media presents an incredible opportunity for you as a small business owner. Check out these eight social media tips for small business owners so you can stay ahead of your competition, build brand loyalty, make sales and strengthen consumer relationships.
1. Have a Plan and Goal in Mind
You probably already use social media in your daily life. It’s free to create a social media account for your business. Before you begin posting anything on your business’s social media pages, though, you need a strategy. What are you trying to accomplish? Do you want more sales? Begin by creating SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. Additionally, research your competition, create a social calendar and get inspired.
2. Choose Your Platforms
Once you have a clear goal, you can choose your platforms, whether Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any others. If you’re trying to target millennials, you might instinctively skip over TikTok. However, users of all ages and audiences use various platforms, so no matter what you use, you’ll probably target your wanted customers. Do some research to determine which platforms are best for your business.
3. Know Your Audience
If you don’t know your audience and personas, you won’t effectively reach your target audience. Who are you trying to sell to? Are you a design company focusing on building logos for entrepreneurs? Do you primarily sell items to new moms? Research your audience and get to know the kind of social media they use and the most active times. That can help you decide what and when to post.
4. Post Consistently
To succeed in your social media outreach, you need to be consistent with your posts. Your followers won’t pay much attention without consistency, and you’ll fail to engage with old and new customers. Usually, this means posting to sites like Instagram and LinkedIn once per day and Twitter multiple times per day. Focus on posting primarily original content, and share other content from relevant companies that your audience will enjoy.
5. Respond to Customers and Encourage Engagement
If one of your followers messages you or directly comments something to you about your business, don’t ignore them! You need to engage with your consumers to keep them loyal to your brand, and so they know you’re being transparent with your interactions. When someone reaches out to you via a messaging system through the platform or on a comment, take time to respond. They’ll feel appreciated and will tell others about your brand!
6. Track Your Metrics
How do you know if your social media strategy is working? Through metric tracking, of course! You’ve already set your SMART goals, so go back to them and see if you’ve met your goals. For example, maybe you made a goal to get ten new followers by a specific date. Did you meet those? If not, what can you do to improve upon your strategy? You can visualize firsthand what changes you need to make to better engage as a small business owner by tracking your metrics.
7. Keep Up with the Trends
You don’t have to repost every meme that goes on the internet, but if a particular trend goes around social media and relates to your business, you should jump on it! People follow trends, so if you’re doing the same as a business owner, you can better engage with everyone by creating appropriate content to keep up with the times. Keeping your audience’s current needs in mind will be much better than relying on old tactics to sell your products or services.
8. Focus on Quality, Not Quantity
Finally, focus on quality content, not quantity. Although it is essential to frequently post, if it’s not worth someone’s time or is repeated content, it won’t stand out among your competitors. Try creating a few quality pieces of content for a couple of crucial platforms over having mediocre content on every channel. Your posts should offer value, so keep it human, honest and focus on building relationships. Once you master a few platforms, you can expand to others.
Become a Social Media Expert
With these tips, you’ll become a social media expert in no time. Make use of the digital world to expand your reach, make more sales and build customer loyalty for a successful business.
