Using social media for small businesses has become an essential part of a digital marketing strategy, regardless of its size or the industry it serves.
Suppose you want to build brand awareness and attract customers. In that case, a social media strategy can be your best friend – but only if you use it correctly.
Let’s look at how social media strategy can help your small business thrive and some of the ways that it might do more harm than good if you don’t treat it with care.
Reach More Potential Customers
Social media platforms are a great way to get your business in front of a large audience, particularly if you’re running a small business.
Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, a social platform can effectively promote your products and services when used strategically.
For example, some small businesses have reported using social media as an inexpensive alternative to traditional advertising that still reaches hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously.
If your business isn’t on social media yet, get started today!
Save Time and Money
Don’t know how to use social media? Don’t want to use social media?
Well, most small businesses don’t.
Most small business owners think it won’t work for them because of its reputation as a tool used by college kids and teenagers who love to share photos of what they had for breakfast.
CadaSocialMedia can tell you first-hand that engaging in social media marketing works wonders. It helps you build relationships with current customers while also helping you reach out to new ones.
You can even track which social networks generate leads so your efforts aren’t wasted on those who don’t convert well.
Once you know where your revenue is coming from, it becomes easier to budget appropriately!
Brand Awareness
Don’t underestimate how social media can help you with your small business.
Social media can be a valuable platform to boost brand awareness and help create loyalty in a market saturated with options. It allows you to show off your business culture and identity. Use creativity and make sure people know about what makes your business unique.
You can also use social media to introduce new products or gain feedback on existing ones. Giving you a more direct line of customer communication than traditional advertising has ever provided.
Today, over 90% of companies have an active presence on Facebook (Hubspot) and 67% on Twitter (Oberlo); growing that number is crucial if you want to stay competitive.
On top of all that, using social media helps reduce advertising costs – it’s free!
Track Competitors
While keeping a pulse on your social media target audience is essential, checking in on your competitors’ social media presence is also wise.
Tip: use Twitter private lists to view your competitor’s social media output to understand:
- Where are they putting their focus?
- What kinds of social media content receive engagement?
- How does their tone differ from yours?
Paying attention to what your competitors are doing on social media can help you tailor your strategy and even pick up some tips.
Use it as an Outreach Tool
We live in a world where social media reigns supreme, and it’s only getting bigger. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are invaluable ways to network with clients, customers, employees, mentors – anyone you want to engage with!
And connecting through social media allows you to meet like-minded people who might otherwise be difficult to track down. For example, if you’re a freelance writer looking for writing jobs, there’s an entire community waiting for you on ProBlogger.
If you need help or have questions about your business, please reach out on your selected social media platform. Someone will be able to direct you in an appropriate direction.
Niche Social Media Platforms
It’s a given that social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are pretty much essential. You should use them to: build brand awareness, connect with clients and customers, share news, and engage in conversations.
But you’re probably wondering where do I start. That’s where niche social media platforms come in. Knowing which ones your target audience is already using will make reaching them much more straightforward.
Examples: Tumblr (if you sell fashion or design), Pinterest (if you sell home goods), Instagram (if you’re in photography) and TikTok (for a younger generation).
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many different social media platforms out there and many ways to get started and use social media to grow your business.
The tips discussed will help you get started with your first few posts, but after that, it’s up to you.
There are no rules about what topics your business should or shouldn’t write about and how frequently you should post. It depends on your business and market, so do what feels best!
We always recommend diving in before doing too much planning, as it will help you develop ideas naturally and quickly.
