From Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn to Instagram, social media is a powerful tool for small business owners. The following strategies will help you harness the popularity of social media for the growth and development of your small business.
- Choose The Right Social Media Channels
There’s a huge difference between the brevity of Twitter, the fun of Facebook, the image-laden appeal of Instagram, and the professionalism of LinkedIn. You might be tempted to stick to the social media outlets you enjoy most or are most familiar with. That’s fine for personal use, but for your small business, choose the ones your target market finds most appealing and, more importantly, uses on a daily basis. - Create Cohesive Social Media Profiles
Get your branding right with the help of a graphic designer, then use it to create cohesive profiles across all the social media outlets your ideal clients frequent. Creating lookalike – though, not necessarily identical – profiles increases your recognizability with clients and potential clients. Inconsistent profiles can lead to confusion and loss of sales. - Develop A Social Media Posting Strategy
Sales is only one of your small business goals. Establishing your expertise and engaging with your audience are equally important goals. Avoid haphazard posting and opt for a social media scheduler that lets you establish a solid presence without spending endless hours posting to your chosen platforms. Don’t bombard your audience with sales promos, either. Instead, work toward a balance of 70% resources, 10% humorous content, and 20% sales and promotional posts.Social media and blogging are two simple, low-cost, easy-to-implement methods of getting the attention of your ideal consumers and creating a buzz around your products and services. Make sure every profile and post points to your small business URL or purchase pattern. In other words, make it as easy as possible – ideally one click – for interested shoppers to buy from you. Social media is here to stay and your small business will benefit in a big way when you use it to put your best foot forward.