You're a professional business owner, an expert in your field and you've heard all the buzz words about the importance of social media for businesses, right? Do you know what they truly mean - or how to use your social media presence to create unique connections with existing or potential customers? Probably not, or you wouldn't be here. That's the thing, you see. While you're an expert in your field, you're likely not also an expert in marketing, unless that's your field. This is where I come in. As a Digital Marketing Manager I'm an expert at Social Media Marketing, Website Design and everything in between. It's simply not enough to set up your social media accounts and never post again or not respond to customers that try to interact with you online. That's like never answering the phone at your shop or ignoring customers that walk into your store. Getting your sites up and running is just the beginning, but unfortunately for many small businesses, that's the extent of their social media plan. I get it, it seems overwhelming and it certainly can be. You don't have time to create content every day, answer questions and run your physical business. But, in all honesty, you can't afford not to. I've said it before and I'll say it again - not only are your customers and your potential customers on social media - but your competition is. So, here are some simple tips to help you get started. While this list is no stand in for a long term plan, it's a start.
Pick Your Platform - You know the old saying, 'You can't do everything at 100 percent'. That holds true and this is the perfect example. While there are plenty of tools and methods out there to help you cross-post your content on every social media platform, there is likely no need for you to be everywhere and some of your content might not translate well from one audience to the next. For this reason, you should do some homework, or hire someone like me to do some homework. Once you figure out where your target audience is - set up those accounts and get great at that first - before deciding if you want to tackle another platform.
Follow Local or Relevant Businesses- Once you've set up shop on social media, it's time to go through and connect with some relevant businesses and/or potential customers. One easy way to get started is to follow the companies that you do business with or even neighboring businesses at your physical location. Following local, popular organizations will increase your chances of being followed by local consumers and will provide you with content and 'friends' to interact with as you grow your audience.
Use Hashtags to Connect with Relevant Audiences - This takes a little bit of research and if you hire a marketing professional, they'll put in the work. Hashtags are what people use to connect with people and accounts related to their interests. For example, small business owners frequently use #SmallBusinessSaturday as an opportunity to promote their products or services on the weekend. If you run a local gym, you can connect with wellness and health minded individuals using #MondayMotivation, and so on. But, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Really, truly, finding your ideal customers takes time, effort and talent. So, roll up your sleeves and figure out what hashtags your customers are using, add them to your content/captions and start growing your following. Ideally, you should use no less than 10 hashtags per post.
Be Helpful & Informative - Just like with face to face communication, being a helpful, informative and friendly 'face' in the crowd will help to grow relationships with potential customers. Answer questions about your business, products or services in a timely manner. Handle requests for information and any feedback or complaints professionally. Provide details on what you do and how your customers can benefit from doing business with you. Share information about any community outreach or charitable efforts that you're company is involved in. Basically, show up and set yourself apart from the crowd by being an interesting and friendly authority in your industry.
Social media for businesses is no joke. While you may be tempted to cut corners, this is not the role to fill with a teenager or just anyone who says they have experience with social media. Running a personal social media account is completely different from managing the social media account of a business with a professional marketing strategy and a reputation at stake. Take the time to find the person who is right for the job and will run a profitable social media presence to make your company stand out.
If you're interested in how I can help you to grow your following and your business, contact me today at stacey@virtualstacey.com.
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