Nearly 80% of small businesses in the US already use social media to market, improve customer service, and generate sales. With social media marketing, you can reach and engage your target audience. You can help them learn more about your product or service to generate more business, too.
Here are 11 ways you can generate a buzz using social media for small businesses. With these tips, you can develop an effective social media marketing strategy.
Otherwise, you might waste valuable time and effort reaching the wrong audience. You could post content your customers don’t care about, either.
Develop a social media strategy for small business owners that works. Get started with these 11 easy tips today.
1. Determine Your Goals
Before rushing to post content online, it’s important to establish your goals. Why exactly do you want to start using social media marketing? If you don’t have a plan, you won’t create content to achieve those goals.
Your target audience might start unfollowing your accounts as a result.
Before that can happen, make a list of what you want to accomplish. Goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, results-driven, and time will keep you on track.
For example, you can focus on:
- Generating brand awareness and recognition
- Gaining more social media followers
- Generating more social shares
- Boosting brand trust and loyalty
- Directing more people to your website
- Generating more leads and online sales
- Becoming a thought leader in your industry
- Establishing yourself as a thought leader
Once you determine what you want to accomplish, consider how you’ll achieve each goal. For example, let’s say you want to become a thought leader. You can post helpful tips and tricks to demonstrate your expertise.
If you want to generate more brand awareness, use eye-catching, branded content. Consider using a branded hashtag, too. You can also spread the word about your business by posting user-generated content (UGC).
As you begin establishing your goals, set a key performance indicator (KPIs) for each one, too. For example, you can track followers, likes, or reshares. If you’re not meeting your KPIs, you’ll know to change your social media strategy.
Otherwise, you could struggle to accomplish your goals.
2. Research Your Audience
Before using the rest of these social media ideas, you’ll also need to determine who you’re trying to reach. Otherwise, your content won’t appeal to your target audience. They might turn toward another business instead.
Before that can happen, start researching your target audience.
Your customers are unique people. They have specific wants, needs, and goals. You can appeal to their needs and interests through your content.
Personalizing your social media for small businesses can help you connect with your audience. Consumers will see that you understand their needs. They might decide to trust your business more as a result.
In fact, 80% of consumers are more likely to shop from businesses that personalize experiences. Personalization can boost your ROI on marketing spend by eight times, too.
In fact, 70% of consumers expect you to understand their needs. Otherwise, they might take their business elsewhere.
Determine who your customers are by researching their psychographics and demographics. If you’re focused on a broad audience, segment them into groups. You can create groups based on:
- Age
- Gender
- Household income
- Buying behaviors
- Interests
- Location
- Pain points
- Marital status
- Language
- Education
- Hobbies
For example, a male college student likely has different interests than a 30-year-old mother of two kids.
As you research your audience, consider how they speak, too. Determine what content they already like. Look at the hashtags they follow as well.
You can use this information to better inform your social media marketing strategy.
Once you know who your followers are, optimize each social media platform to appeal to their interests. You can learn how with this optimize instagram profile guide.
3. Find Your Competitors
Take the time to research your competitors as well. The content they’re already creating can help you make smarter marketing decisions.
For example, what types of posts (videos, still images, quizzes, etc.) are they posting? Which posts generate the most engagement? Look at the hashtags they’re using, too.
Determine where your competitors are succeeding and where they’re falling flat. Identify opportunities they’re neglecting.
Once you gather your research, you can develop your social media marketing strategy.
4. Create Compelling Content
Eye-catching, engaging content can help you draw in your target audience. Use your research to determine what content your followers already love. For example, you can try:
- Still images
- Videos
- Animations
- Infographics
- Polls
- Quizzes
- Stories
- Reels
Posting interactive content like polls and quizzes can help you boost engagement. They can also help you learn more about your audience. For example, you can ask what type of content your followers want to see in the future.
5. Go Live With Videos
As you start creating content, consider using videos as part of your social media for small businesses strategy, too. About 90% of consumers say product videos help them make buying decisions.
Over 60% of consumers are likely to buy a product after watching a related video.
Experiment with different video formats. For example, you can use company culture videos to build brand trust. You can demo a new product or create how-to videos, too.
If you create a longer video for YouTube, break it into smaller segments. Then, post it as a video series throughout the week or month.
You can also use live videos to engage your target audience. Schedule a weekly live webinar. Answer any questions your customers have.
Answering their questions can help consumers feel more comfortable about your product or service.
6. Work With Influencers
You don’t have to develop your social media strategy for small business success alone. Instead, consider working with an influencer.
Look for someone your target audience already knows and trusts. Make sure the influencer has a strong social media following. Then, ask them to promote your product or service.
You can leverage the influencer’s existing audience to expand your reach online. Consumers might trust the personal recommendation. They might choose to trust your brand as a result.
7. Set a Schedule
Once you start developing fresh social media ideas and content, create a calendar. Creating a social media calendar will help you post more often. You can get organized and recognize potential gaps in your schedule.
Consider giving every month a theme. You can cover a specific topic to better inform and engage your audience.
Try to avoid posting too often, though. Otherwise, your followers might decide to unfollow if they see you on their feeds too often.
8. Track the Trends
New social media marketing trends pop up constantly. Make sure to keep up with the latest trends to remain relevant. Otherwise, your customers might think you’re behind the times.
They might decide to choose a brand that’s more relatable instead.
Before that can happen, make an effort to track the latest trends. Don’t forget to keep an eye on your competitors, too.
For example, you might consider hosting a contest this year. Encourage your followers to tag their friends as a submission. You can count Story shares as submissions, too.
Asking your followers to share the contest post will spread the word. As they tag their friends, you can generate brand awareness as well. More people will flock to your contest to see what all the buzz is about.
Keeping up with the latest social media trends can help you remain relevant and relatable. You can draw more people to your business, too.
9. Use Social Listening
Don’t forget to keep an ear out as well. Pay attention to what people are saying about your brand. Encourage your customers to use your branded hashtag in a post.
Then, track the hashtag to determine when people start posting about you.
As you use social media for small businesses, it’s important to keep engaging your customers. Respond to their questions. Show them you’re there to help.
10. Maintain Brand Consistency
As you use these social media marketing tips, make sure to keep your branding consistent. Brand consistency can boost awareness and recognition. Consumers will have an easier time recognizing your business on sight.
In time, you can start generating a following of loyal customers. Then, you can generate repeat sales to boost your ROI.
11. Analyze and Optimize
As you start using these social media ideas, make sure to track your progress.
Which posts are helping you generate the most engagement? Which posts are falling flat? You can use this data to update and optimize your social media strategy.
Otherwise, you could keep making the same mistakes. You might struggle to attract more followers in the future as a result.
Instead, continue optimizing your social media marketing strategy to remain ahead of the crowd.
Social Media for Small Businesses: 11 Essential Tips for Building a Buzz
Building a buzz around your business doesn’t have to feel like a challenge. Instead, use these 11 tips. With social media for small business owners, you can generate a loyal following of customers.
Then, they can spread the word about your business, helping you generate more leads and sales.
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