How to Use Social Media for Small Businesses
A small business is a lucrative investment that deserves all the attention it can get. Opportunities to increase revenue and boost your business’ public profile are everywhere, including social media outlets like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. The key to success with social media marketing is to embrace the technology and turn these outlets into tools for reaching customers. The first step towards making this dream a reality is knowing what makes up good content and where to find it.
The first thing you need for successful engagement through social media is solid content: well-written articles that will be shared by other users on their news feeds or reposted on their personal profiles. These articles do not have to be directly related to your product; they just need to inform readers about something worth sharing. Good topics include recent startup or small business news, ways to improve your office environment that cost little to nothing, and general information about a product category.
The next step in successfully using social media for small businesses is to find an audience with whom you can share this content. It’s difficult to get noticed when the only people who have access to your posts are colleagues from within your own company, so look outside of your existing network. Search LinkedIn for groups related to the topic of your article and request permission from administrators to join their ranks. Additionally, Twitter has an advanced search that allows you to search hashtags related to a topic or event then follow any accounts that show up in the results. Don’t forget Facebook: sometimes inconspicuous profiles will turn out to belong to a small business, and groups are always a good way to meet new people.
Picking the right time to post is also important for social media marketing success. Generally speaking, it’s best to post during off-peak hours when there isn’t much going on. Avoid posting in the middle of the day if you can–people are more likely to be at work than surfing online. On Facebook, group administrators will often tell you what time they typically take breaks so that you can adjust your schedule accordingly; Twitter doesn’t have this option, but searching around for average tweet times will yield helpful results. If possible, avoid weekend evenings–the last thing someone wants to do after spending all day with their family is to log on and look at ads.
After you start getting the hang of social media marketing, try bringing it back to your small business. Keep an active presence on as many outlets as possible and make sure that your articles are actually read by those who follow you. If someone comments or re-shares a post, be sure to respond in a timely fashion–people appreciate being taken seriously. The last step towards success is being patient: sometimes your audience won’t respond right away, but they will eventually if you give them good content.
Now that you have solidified a strategy for using social media for small businesses, get out there and start sharing! Remember to keep track of what’s working so that you can refine your approach if necessary.
A small business is a lucrative investment that deserves all the attention it can get. Opportunities to increase revenue and boost your business’ public profile are everywhere, including social media outlets like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. The key to success with social media marketing is to embrace the technology and turn these outlets into tools…