How to Effectively Market Your Small Business on Social Media

Small business owners don’t have the luxury of passing tasks off to department managers. Instead, the success of their business often relies on their ability to balance multiple hats—from sales and operations to payroll and invoicing—running a small business involves a whole range of day-to-day responsibilities. However, one important task that often gets overlooked or put on the back burner is activating social media marketing.

Social media marketing is crucial to helping businesses connect with customers, boost brand awareness and increase leads and sales. Social media platforms allow business owners to break down the barriers between their business and customers by offering support and responding quickly to customer comments, questions and even complaints. An effective and consistent social media effort can convey your brand as being trustworthy, knowledgeable, and approachable.

To help you effectively market your small business on social media, here are 10 tips you should follow:

Start with a Plan

Every good social media strategy starts with a plan. Establish a measurable and attainable plan that supports your business goals, such as acquiring new customers or improving your conversion rate.

Conduct an Audit

Take a moment to evaluate your current social media marketing efforts. Are your social media accounts on brand? Make sure to identify your best posts and evaluate your current audience.

Be Consistent

Being consistent with your social media efforts will give you consistent results. You can achieve this is by creating a content calendar and scheduling posts in advance.

Use Visuals

Visuals can often bring life to your words or draw the attention of your audience. Make sure to utilize photos and videos that are on brand to make the most of your social media efforts.

Establish a Voice

Social media is the place to let your brand shine. Establish a voice that aligns with your brand. Should your posts be casual and funny or educational and formal?

Build Relationships

Don’t just use social media to simply ask for sales upfront. Instead, take the time to manage engagement and to build long-term relationships that lead to repeat sales and referrals.

Track Everything

The more data you collect, the more value you will get from time and money spent. Tracking and measuring removes the guesswork and provides you with real data to grow your social media efforts.

Optimize Through Testing

If you want to increase your success overtime, you need to continue fine tuning and making small changes to your strategy. For example, A/B testing can help you determine which efforts provide the best results.

Learn From Your Competitors

Another tip is to look at what your competitors are doing. Look at how often they post or which types of posts get the most engagement. You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn.

Ask for Help

It’s important to be honest with yourself and ask for help when you need it. Whether it’s because of time limitations or a lack of social media savviness, don’t be afraid to delegate social media work to someone else or to hire a company when the time is right.

It’s no wonder that as a small business owner, your time and resources are often limited. While social media doesn’t have to be a massive commitment or time investment, we also know that with so many responsibilities resting on your shoulder, you might want to reach out for some help. At Reachout Business Solutions, we are highly skilled at helping businesses succeed and thrive. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and while you’re at it, don’t forget to like and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.