How to start social media marketing for small businesses

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted Friday, October 9, 2020 - 11:19pm

It is no news, nowadays, that social media platforms can aid almost every human activity. The same way they are used for communication and entertainment, they are also viable for business promotion. Big brands like Adidas, Unilever have their products displayed in photoshoots and commercials across various social media. However, this luxury is not limited only to the giants, even small businesses can utilize social media for marketing their goods and services.
Marketing is synonymous with advertising, and certain strategies are required to ensure small business owners are sensitizing more people about their products. Just like in the traditional means, some tips are pertinent to social marketing success.

In fact, many have been using social media for a while, but it doesn't seem to favor them. Why? They haven't gotten the hang of the trending ways to optimize these virtual communities. SocialsUp presents the following guidelines that will help small businesses get started with promotion on social media.

THE CREATION OF PROFILES ACROSS VARYING SOCIAL MEDIA.

Presence on one social media platform is not enough; spread your wings. It is easy to find every business on Facebook, at least. Facebook is definitely the destination for anything people desire to publicize, but it isn't enough. Other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are readily available to be harnessed. Also, building a community for your business using platforms such as Tribe is worth considering. Checking out comparisons of platforms like circle vs tribe will help you choose which platform to use.

  • Know your target market.

Actually, identifying one's likely customers' base is very important. This knowledge enables small business owners to pick suitable media platforms. For instance, Facebook is a central point for people of different ages, and from different spheres of life, so every business should prioritize it.

For someone into the sale of merchandise, he may want to stick with Snapchat. A staggering percentage of Generation Z calls it home, averaging nothing less than six appearances every 24 hours. Video-sharing platforms like Triller and Tik Tok also fall into this category.

LinkedIn is well suited for those involved in contract businesses. In addition, anyone setting up his/her profile in these places should have services that are constantly tangible with the corporate world.

SET MARKETING GOALS

When businesses set out to make conventional advertisements, they map out all the details, including what the advertisements aim to achieve—goals. Such seriousness is also applied to social media campaigns.

The popular goals of most businesses are to generate leads, create awareness, and induce engagements. Without a doubt, many will suggest that small businesses don't need to have more expectations; however, goals go beyond those three.

Similar brands would have almost the same strategies working for them. A small business owner willing to make optimum social media use in marketing has to search out competitors and adopt some of their tricks. It is a learning process, as an understudy. A proper analysis will help him/her know what strategies are good for business and those bad alike.

  • Social media auditing

Businesses have to step back once in a while to review their marketing progress. They can take statistics of past posts, cite the ones with the highest engagements, and know what to do more of. Audits help in fishing out imposter accounts that distract the target audience and allow prompt reporting, where necessary. There are social media audit templates that business owners can employ to compare strategies with results.

  • Getting Inspiration

It is important to look beyond competitors and watch out for other businesses, especially the successful ones. The business sections on social media platforms are helpful in this regard. Small business can follow their trends. They should also ask their existing followers the sort of content they like to see and give it to them.

POSTING CONTENTS REGULARLY

A social media calendar is good in this quest. With a calendar, businesses outrightly plan the content they will post every day of the week. Starting with the 80-20 ratio is a laudable idea too. 80% of the content posted will educate and entertain social media users, while the remaining 20% is focused on brand promotion and sales.

From time to time, social media platforms' business divisions give weekly timetable models businesses can use to promote their brands.

WIDEN YOUR AUDIENCE.

Even international brands are still looking to expand their audience, so small businesses should not rest on their oars; they can always reach more people. In order to sensitize more people, they should identify the major moves that have helped them to their current position and see the feasibility of increasing the numbers while doing the same things. Otherwise, they will need fresh strategies.

UK clothing brand, Never Fully Dressed, was recently able to capture more audience in North America, Australia, and some parts of South-East Asia and Africa. Upon an initial trial, it noticed that the British scene's strategies were tenable to the new spaces where they wanted to stamp their presence. Avenues like Facebook News, Instagram Stories, Instagram Feed, and Audience Network tripled engagements and sales for the fashion company.

SYNERGIZE WITH MEDIA INFLUENCERS

Influencer marketing has been instrumental to a couple of brands in recent times. Influencers are people who have a considerate following and lead Important interactions. Liaising with these influencers give small businesses leverage on the latter's' engagements.

For instance, Gymshark, a sportswear outfit, has welcomed popular fitness trainers and sportsmen and women to its fold. These individuals promote Gymshark merchandise across their social media pages, aside from indicating affiliations in their profiles. Such activities have drawn traffic towards Gymshark, and this was evident by the end of the 2019 business year when they made a 71% increase in the revenue of the previous year.

MAKE RELATIONSHIPS

An advantage of being a small business on social media is that the owner can easily communicate with followers and customers. Research says that 40% of online consumers pick out their favored brands by searching online. The perk of receiving feedback from a business owner improve his/her chances of winning more hearts.

Erin Barret — A weaver based in South Carolina, America — is a testimony. Almost instantly, she responds to every compliment, which has built trust and confidence between her and her patrons. Currently, she has amassed 111,000 followers on Instagram. Anytime she puts out a collection, it gets sold out in a flash.

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