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Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

Social media marketing for small businesses is imperative. Whether using it for marketing or customer feedback, do not underestimate its power to reach the end consumer. Having a social media presence will allow owners to connect directly with customers. At the bare minimum a company should have a Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn account. Depending upon the industry, Pinterest and Instagram can also be very rewarding. Do not just set these up and fail to use them. Offer discounts to customers that like your Facebook page. Engage your audience and encourage feedback on products. If a business owner makes customers feel like they are making a impact and are having a direct effect on the course of the business, they will feel empowered and are more likely to remain loyal customers. Don’t consistently try to force feed customers with useless information. Quality over quantity is a must. If possible, wish them a happy birthday even if it’s just with an automated reply and/or offer them a coupon for the next purchase. Considering distributing content on your niche’s industry news. They key is not to make any controversial comments that might be taken the wrong way and to remain genuine. You can create these accounts yourself or have a freelancer from Fiverr or Upwork create them for you. If you do create the account yourself, I recommend watching a Youtube video prior to making an account. This is not only because doing it the right way the first time will save you a bunch a time but also certain social media sites such as Facebook have different set up procedures depending whether it is for an individual or company. 

 

Automation Tools – Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

 

The following are two tools I have used to automate my social media accounts:

 

• Hootsuite and Buffer– these are separate apps/software but they essentially serve the same purpose. They both schedule social media posts in advance and to track any mentions of your business in other posts. Hootsuite also allows users to search for relevant content by certain keywords.

 

• Zappier– this tool allows apps, software, and websites to communicate amongst one another. So an user can have a “zap” scheduled to post straight to social media sites whenever an article is uploaded to a website.

 

When to Post – Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

 

Another consideration is when to post. As with the previous example, this will depend upon the target audience. Refer to the following article by Coschedule to read an in depth study on the best days and times to post to each social media site. I typically try to post around 3pm CST on Thursdays and Sundays.

Engage Your Audience – Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

The whole intent of social media marketing should be to engage your audience. If the audience is engaged then they are viewing your product(s), service(s), blog, etc. The following are some of the best ways to engage your audience:

• Create Videos
• Share social media posts within your niche produced by other individuals (Be careful of copyright infringement)
• Tag active users in posts you think they would like
• Direct questions at a particular active use
• Ask for a review
• Give something away

 

Social Media Ads – Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

 

Facebook has paid ads that I have seen work quite well for certain business types. These ads allow users to focus on a target market which is quite beneficial if selling a particular product such as makeup. In such a case, one would probably do best to target the market of females ages 17-40. All this can be inputted into the Facebook ad requirements.

 

Conclusion – Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

If you own a small business and do not use social media marketing, I would highly recommend starting today. Start with a Facebook account to get the hang of it. You will be astonished by the feedback and additional customers you will receive if you learn how to appropriately engage your niche’s target audience.

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