Why your small business needs a social media strategy
Developing a sound social media marketing plan is crucial for small business owners to achieve long-term success. The type of business you have doesn’t matter – having a solid plan can save you time when managing your social media channels.
The main social platforms currently in use have distinct usage patterns which set them apart from each other. As each platform is used in a different way, businesses have adapted their strategies to effectively engage with their target audiences.
Effective social media post ideas for small businesses
Engaging Posts
- Commemorate national events
- Popular memes
- Funny posts
- Interesting facts
- Useful tips/information
- Motivational quotes
Curated Content
- News and trending topics
- Survey results & statistics
- Inspirational quotes
- Blog posts/articles
- Link to other external content (videos etc)
Promotional Posts
- Product/Company videos
- New products and services
- Discounts & special deals (inc. social media exclusive deals)
- Freebies
- Contest or giveaway
- Behind-the-scenes look (video or photos)
- Tips or tricks
- Tutorials and how-tos (step-by-step instructions when required)
User-Generated Content
- Polls/FAQ’s
- Ask your followers questions
- Photographs
- Testimonials
- Local shout-outs
About Your Staff
- Team bio’s
- Celebrations
- Announcements
- Milestones
- New staff introductions
- Job opportunities
Why use social media for your small business
Increase your brand awareness
Increased online visibility for your brand can lead to greater consumer recognition and potential sales.
Understand your customers better
To what extent are you familiar with your customers? Social media can provide more detailed insights into the interests, needs, behaviours, and desires of a target audience, beyond basic demographic information. This valuable customer data can be used to improve your service.
Build long-term relationships with your customers
Social media serves a variety of purposes beyond simply sharing aesthetically pleasing images and thought-provoking captions. It’s also about building relationships with your customers. Maintaining these connections is crucial as these individuals are potential customers who can spread the word about your products and services.
Demonstrating concern for customers and their interactions with your company can have a substantial impact on maintaining these connections for an extended duration. As people engage with your content by sharing and liking it, your visibility increases on the social media platforms you used, resulting in additional exposure on them at no additional cost.
Which social media platforms are best for small businesses?
When developing your social media strategy, it’s important not to assume where your audience is active and to thoroughly research the best platforms and tools to use.
Your instinct might tell you that if you’re targeting young adults, you should skip Facebook and focus on Instagram and TikTok instead, however, data shows that over a quarter of Facebook users are under 24!
If you’re selling to an older generation, social might not seem like a top priority. But it should be. Facebook and Pinterest are the top social networks and adults over age 65 are Facebook’s fastest-growing audience segment.
You can select multiple platforms when deciding which ones to use. Various social channels can be used in order to target different audiences or achieve different business objectives.
The aim of social media posts
- Build awareness of your brand
- Showcase your values and personality
- Drive sales of your products/services
- Develop a community of advocates for your brand
Social media can be an effective tool for business growth when used properly.
To optimise your social media strategy, it is recommended to create buyer personas and establish objectives for your activity, ensuring you are utilizing the appropriate platforms for your desired audience.
Understand your audience
Effective use of social media for small businesses requires understanding the needs and interests of your audience and tailoring your posts accordingly.
Posting valuable content that benefits your customers is an effective method for increasing your social media influence. Conduct some research to determine which accounts they follow, the posts they enjoy, and what they share. This will provide a better understanding of their interests.
Participate in conversations
Once you know what your audience likes to talk about, start or join a conversation.
To create engaging posts, it is recommended to include a mix of informative, inspirational, and promotional content while ensuring that each post includes a call to action. Encourage your audience to engage with your brand.
Participate in conversations by asking questions and discussing topics that elicit emotional responses. Every product or service has a connection to an experience or feeling desired by their ideal customer, regardless of the industry. Once someone responds, you should keep that conversation going.
How often should you post?
When creating a social media strategy for small businesses, many business owners consider how often they should post. Regrettably, there is no universal answer. The choice of social media platform, your target audience and the intended message are determining factors. How often should you post on the most popular social media platforms?
Experiment and make improvements
It is common to make mistakes initially. Effective use of social media varies depending on your needs and preferences. The only way to know for sure is to get started.
Try lots of different things and take note of what tends to work best for you. Once you know the type of content that performs best for your brand, create more like it.
Why only a percentage of your social media content should be about your brand
Focusing only on your brand can make your content monotonous and boring. Incorporating a variety of content, such as industry updates, jokes, inspirational quotes, trending topics, and insider information, can help your brand remain current and interesting.
The primary aim of social media is to establish connections with your audience. Diverse content allows a brand to demonstrate its character, principles, and hobbies, establishing a more profound connection with your customers. Brands can expand their audience and gain new followers by posting shareable content that appeals to people’s desire to pass it on to their own network of followers.
