It’s now 2015 and if you haven’t been asked the question by now, it’s about time… How have you embraced the social media phenomenon? Are you in the camp that thinks social media is all meaningless and has no relevance to your business, or are you of a mind that you need to get involved in it but don’t know where to start, or are you a social media wiz who is taking full advantage of the social media juggernaut?
I think the first thing to admit is that social media is here to stay and it is important for a modern business. The truth is that it is not only where the people are, it has also become a viable source of traffic, engagement and marketing for nearly any business that would choose to make use of it.
The key here is to get moving, and don’t fear the unknown. This medium changes often, and you need a certain ability to roll with that, understanding that most of the time the changes only help you. (Remember, embrace change!) Let’s look at a few ways we can help you with that.
3 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses
Decide on your social strategy – You must have a clear idea what you hope to accomplish with social media before expecting it to generate huge following and massive results. Decide what your goals are and how you want to brand yourself, handle customers, advertise, and engage. Check out what each platform can do for your business. Not all are the same.
Don’t try to use all of them – There are a lot of social platforms you can register for, however, not all of them may be applicable enough to your business to justify the time and expense involved. For instance, if you are a Mercedes auto body shop, SnapChat (frequented by teens) is probably not your best use of resources.
Be Consistent – None of this matters if you post twice a month and don’t provide value or access to your company. Once you decide to do this and have a plan, go all in! It will only work if you are dedicated to consistently providing value and engaging with people. Anything less will be sniffed out as a lame attempt to grab some cheap traffic and leads, as opposed to trying to actually engage with your audience.
Doing these 3 things will lay the groundwork for a solid social media initiative for your small business. Then it’s up to you to energize and engage your audience.
As you can see being involved in social media doesn’t have to be a complicated matter. Having a clear strategy and utilizing just a few of the important social media platforms can make a real and measurable difference to not only how you stay in touch with your customers, but also how you attract new customers to your business.