Getting Started on Social Media as a Small Business

If you own or work for a small business, the realisation has probably sunk in that you need to jump on the social media bandwagon. However, the journey to getting in the driver’s seat is a daunting one.

Social Media has become a tool so powerful that some businesses use it as their only marketing channel. But, like any marketing channel, it’s crucial to target your market and to communicate with them in the right way. Failure to do this will result in your efforts landing on deaf ears, which is a huge waste of time and money.

So, let’s take a look at my five tips on how to effectively get started on social media as a small business.

 

Identify your target audience and make a plan.

Before you type a single sentence on any platform, you need to determine who it is that you want to read your content and why you want them to read it, for example:

• Prospective customers for lead generation and sales.
• Existing customers for relationship building and customer service.
• Stakeholders and investors for future backing.
• All of the above.

It is essential that you tailor your content to make it more relevant to your readers. That way, it is more likely that you will gain traction with your followers and encourage virality.

 

Research Your Competitors.

One of the best ways to speed up the process of getting started on social media is to see what your competitors are doing and see how you can do it better. Look at some of the big fish in the pond. They will have a large following and interesting content to gain inspiration from. DO NOT just copy them. At the same time, be sure to take a look at some of the smaller fish in the pond, where you might be able to see some things that show you what not to do.

 

Choose Your Platforms

Again, before writing out a single sentence, you need to decide which platform is best to write it on. If you are a small hairdressing salon, a Facebook page would be the ideal first platform, whereas if you are an ecommerce clothing store, you should jump straight onto Instagram and Snapchat. Once you understand your target market, you’ll be able to determine which platform is best to target them on.

 

Create a Content Calendar

Once you’ve established who you are targeting and what you are targeting them on, it’s time to start posting. If you start this process by creating a content calendar, it will become your best friend. My golden rule of social media marketing is 80:20B. 80% of your content should provide value through information, entertainment or insight and 20% of your content should promote your brand and business. If you put this content inside a calendar, not only will it save you time, but it allows you to track how closely you are following the golden rule.

 

Track Your Performance

Social Media is an attention game. Your goal is to grab the attention of your market and keep it, while getting them to carry out actions along the way. To do this, you need to increase your followers and engagement numbers. There are plenty of tools out there that can help you track your social media analytics, so make sure you get stuck in.

Above all, your social media should add value to your market. Whether it’s through a useful step-by-step guide, a promotional offer or a lighthearted Saturday morning post of your dog, always aim to provide good content.

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