Social media is one of the best ways to connect with customers and grow your brand, but it’s also one of the most challenging. It allows you to build a brand, share information about your products and services, and engage with current and potential customers. However, knowing where to start or what your small business needs from its social media presence can be challenging.
Here are some tips for how small businesses can use social media more effectively:
Encourage engagement with your audience.
Many people think that social media is all about the number of followers you have, but we’re here to tell you that it’s not. It’s about how engaged your audience is with your content. You can have a million followers on Twitter and Instagram, but if they’re not engaging with you, then what’s the point? Regardless of where you are in your business or how big your following is, we recommend you focus on engaging with your audience to build trust and credibility with them, which means they’ll be more likely to buy from you in the future.
Here are some ways to encourage engagement:
• Ask questions at the beginning of your posts or videos; ensure there are multiple answers so people feel like they can participate.
• Use polls or surveys for contests or giveaways; this will get people talking about the post, which means more people will see it!
• Create contests where people must follow along on social media and engage with each other to win! This will get people sharing their opinions on different topics, which means more engagement for everyone involved!
Social media is a two-way street: not only do you need to respond to comments and ask questions, but you also need to provide value. Don’t just promote your products or services.
Use Stories to share behind-the-scenes content.
Stories are a great way to share your behind-the-scenes content and daily activities with your audience. Stories are fun to watch, easy to digest and allow you to add text or drawings that give context and personality.
You can use stories to:
• Show what you’re working on (like a new product or service)
• Let people see how your day goes (with pics of your office or even just the products you work with)
• Share videos that aren’t quite ready for prime time, but you want to show off anyway
• Tell a story that you think might be interesting or educational for your audience
Remember, stories are more personal than posts and provide an opportunity for you to tell your story in a more fun way. So don’t hesitate to start sharing on Stories today.
Work with local influencers.
Many people are familiar with the concept of “influencers.” They are people who have a large following on social media, and they typically use their following to promote products and services they like.
If you run a small business, you probably don’t have the budget to hire a big-name influencer to promote your products or service. But there are ways to work with influencers that won’t break the bank:
You may want to consider local influencers. They are people in your community that are very engaged and have a large local following. They may not be the Kim Ks of the world, but they are still very influential to their local followers. This can benefit you because they might be willing to work with you and your budget to promote your product or service.
You can also become an influencer over time. Get connected with online communities dedicated to discussing similar topics as yours. Share resources that help other members of these groups grow their businesses and interact with them regularly, so they begin seeing you as an authority figure or expert resource within that community space.
Consider what is trending on other social media accounts.
Finding out what’s trending on other social media pages is one of the best ways to find new information and content ideas. Social media platforms are constantly changing, so it’s good to keep up with the latest trends and news. You can do this by following what others are discussing on their pages.
To find out what is trending on other social media pages:
• Follow hashtags or keywords related to your business or industry to get an idea of what people like talking about online. For example, if you’re running a restaurant, you could use #foodies or #dinner ideas as your hashtags to see what other users are posting on these topics.
• Find out which sites have significant followings within your community and consider following them. This way, you can keep up with trends within the community without having to search all over social media for relevant tweets!
Talk about you and your business story.
We all know that social media is a great place to market your business. But did you know it’s also a great place to tell your business story?
Whether you’re a new business or an established one, telling your story on social media can be very beneficial for your brand and sales.
Here are a few reasons why:
• People want to buy from people they trust and like. If you can show off your personality and create an image of yourself as someone fun, friendly, and trustworthy, then people will be more likely to buy from you.
• People love to feel special. By telling them about how you started the business and how much hard work went into getting where it is today (and how much more hard work is still going on), people will feel like they’re part of something really special—and that’s something we all want!
• When people know more about your company, they will be more likely to recommend it to others—which means more sales!
Conclusion
Social media can be a powerful tool for small businesses. Whether you’re looking to increase brand awareness, find new customers, or just want to show off your business’s personality, social media is a great place to start. It’s also a great way to get feedback from customers and learn what they like about your company. We hope these tips have given you some new ideas about how to use social media for your small business, and we encourage you to get creative with them.
If you haven’t started using social media more effectively yet, now is the time!
