How to Effectively Use Social Media For Businesses

Social Media for Businesses

If you’re not using social media for your business, you’re missing out on an inexpensive channel to promote your company and attract new customers. Unlike traditional media (think TV, newspaper and radio), social media is interactive. You can create connections and foster two-way interactions and conversations anywhere, anytime, and from any device. Not all social media platforms are created equal however, so knowing what you’re looking for and where to start is a must.

Define your Target Audience or Clientele

It’s a good idea to determine your ideal target audience based on your type of business and use the social media platforms that your ideal customer interacts with. Don’t think of this in terms of the customer base you currently have; instead, think of the customers you want to attract and focus first on building an online presence where they interact the most.

 Establish demographics – age, gender, profession, location, interest, income and lifestyle choices – to help visualize your ideal customer as a person. This will help you understand what they want as you build your overall social media strategy.

Why not just Sign Up for Every Social Media Platform?

It’s no secret that most small business owners don’t have a lot of (free) time to spare, and developing and maintaining an effective online presence takes time and energy. As a starting point, every business should be on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and build from there.

Facebook is the biggest social network (October 2018) with over a billion daily active users, so the potential of connecting your business to people all over the world is genuinely possible. Set up your business with a Facebook page and include company info and customer testimonials. From here, users can follow and ‘like’ your page, and your content will show up in their news feed. Take advantage of paid ads and boosted posts to expand your followers and bring awareness to your brand.

Instagram is based on photo and video posts, allowing you to visually showcase your product or experience. Try showing your personal side or behind-the-scenes business through simple photos or video posts and you’ll likely gain a new demographic of followers. With over 500 million daily active users, Instagram’s popularity continues to rise and mastering instagram for businesses is becoming compulsory.

Twitter lets you share short text updates, images and videos and easily interact with other users by mentioning them in your posts and retweeting content. It’s also a great platform for handling customer service inquiries and engaging with current and potential customers through brief two-way conversations. Twitter is another free method of growing your business through social media

Have a Business Social Media Strategy

Define what you are trying to achieve – are you looking to drive sales? Build brand awareness or increase your customer base? Do some research on what content types have worked for other similar businesses and see how you can implement those types into your own strategy. Get inspiration from notable brands and be willing to adapt your content to see what works.

Make the Time to be Active on Social Media

It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday running of your business and some items take priority over others, but it’s important to make your social media presence a part of your regular routine. Be consistent, post regularly and be active. Set up dedicated time in your schedule to manage your accounts, respond to posts and interact with customers. Your online presence should be a representation of real-life.

Think about creating a content calendar to stay organized. Posting relevant content across your platforms is not always easy as a busy business owner so planning your content in advance saves time and energy.

Don’t copy the same content across all of your channels. This is one of the big mistakes that many businesses make. You’ll have a harder time attracting followers to your various channels without a clear distinction between them. Try posting different, but complementary content on each of your channels that drive traffic to your website or other central location.

Consider a Social Media Management Tool

A good social media management tool consolidates all of your channels into one easy to manage location and offers handy features such as organization, scheduling, analytics and monitoring features. Using a tool like this helps you track your performance to gauge what’s working and what missed the mark.

Social media is all about building relationships, connecting with others and sharing what is important. A strong online presence creates a sense of familiarity and gets people interested about your brand and business. The potential to attract future customers starts here – don’t pass up the opportunity to expand your reach! Invest in a social media strategy.

To further expand your business reach through social media, contact me, David D’Silva for a consultation on how to develop your business and the best social media techniques for you.