If you’re a small business in 2018, social media marketing is a vital aspect of promoting your business.

An effective social media marketing strategy requires a basic understanding of the relationship between your business and social media, enabling you to significantly increase brand awareness and loyalty, increase website traffic and search ranking, gain valuable customer insights, and much, much more!

There is no end to the new opportunities that a carefully managed social media strategy can bring. With such a wide range of channels and tools available it can be difficult to know exactly how you can achieve these results. We can help; learn more by reading some of our top tips below:

Social media top tips for small businesses:

Start with a plan!
First, research fundamental questions: What is your purpose on social media? Are you hoping to gain brand awareness? Is it a gateway to your website? Choose three main goals and always keep them in mind when developing content.
Define your target audience
Match the demographics of your desired market to social platforms; including age, sex, and location. What is your audience interested in seeing? Analyse what they are posting to see what people are talking about.
Choose your social media platforms
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tumblr and Google+ are all powerful platforms which you can use to enhance your small business – although one or two consistent accounts have more value than three or four with sporadic posting and customer engagement activity.
Content, content, and more content!
Post consistently and respond promptly to all customer activity. Measure the effectiveness of your content with social media analytics tools, enabling you to choose the best social media engagement. Consistency is the key to success with any social media campaign.
Format content to optimise each platform.
Different platforms require specific content; photos for Instagram, long posts for LinkedIn, videos and memes for Facebook and short and snappy announcements for Twitter. Ensure posts differ slightly, even if they are sending the same message.
Be authentic.
Make your social media channels and website a reflection of you and your brand so they feel real and are easy for you to update regularly. Speak in your own voice, but be careful to match the tone of your content to your business. For example, if you are selling a medical product, then your content should be factual and your tone scientific. If you are selling a fitness product, then an energetic tone may be more appropriate.
Some content won't be popular, but you still need to post it.
Important content e.g. press features and blog posts are vital pieces of content when it comes to establishing legitimacy in your market, yet engagement of this type of content typically hold limited shares, likes and comments. STILL POST IT, it will help build a basis for your company.
Don't try to 'sell' on social media platforms.
Instead aim for education and engagement, social media is a way for your customers to get to know what your company offers. Be authentic and put up share-worthy posts.
Get your customers to like you and they'll be more receptive to buying from you down the road. Share content that paints your worldview and bring your fans along for the ride.
Engage with your audience.
Be responsive to customer comments made on social media. If a customer makes a comment (positive or negative) respond to them asap.
Paid search advertising.
Paid search advertising is often dismissed by businesses with a smaller budget, however it can also be a profound way to reach your target audience, particularly if you have a new website or a promotion you want to advertise.

We are now offering a free no obligation digital audit which includes a review of your current online presence and performance. Get in touch for your free no obligation audit today.

Want to learn more about the services we can offer your company? Want to work with us on a project? If you think we could work together, get in touch today. We provide bespoke services to suit the needs of your business, whatever your budget might be.