How to use social media for small business

Not sure how to use social media for your business?

Using social media the right way has many benefits. Not only is it great for connecting with potential clients, promoting your message, but also it boosts your website traffic.

In 2020, the global social penetration rate reached 49 percent, with East Asia and North America having the highest penetration rate at 71 and 69 percent respectively, followed by Northern Europe at 67 percent. (Statista)

In other words, using social media to promote businesses in the digital age is no longer optional, it is a must if you want a successful online presence.

Make sure your social media channels are generating traffic and leads

Social media provides great opportunities for marketers and business owners to boost online presence, increase sales, grow brands and reach new customers. Unless paying for sponsored ads, social media platforms give business owners a free and effective way to promote and advertise their products and services, and reach and connect with their target markets.

If you want to gain the attention of potential customers and get exposure, traffic, and market insights, you have to include a strong social media strategy, in addition to traditional marketing and advertising.

Ultimately, building your social media presence takes time and effort. Make sure you understand where to focus your energy and why.

Implement social media in your small business and gain traffic!

Social media is an effective tool for your business but you need to have a plan and set your business goals. If you are here because you want to implement social media for small businesses, you are in the right place. A well planned social media strategy can make or break a business success. Implement the following tips to help you better connect with your audience and increase awareness of your brand through social media.

Keep reading and discover the ten key elements you have to know to join the social media game like the pros.

How to make social media work for your small business

1. Start with a plan

Just as when you are getting started with an e-commerce platform, using social media for a small business needs to start with a plan that will define your business goals and objectives, and measure the result. What do you want your business to achieve? How are you going to achieve your set goals?

Here’s an example of how a social media marketing plan for small businesses work:

• Set SMART Goals
• Gather data about your target audience
• Watch your competitors
• Do a social media audit
• Create a comprehensive social media profile

Your plan ensures that all your social media efforts will have good results.

2. Choose the right platform

Use the right social media channels to reach your target market and meet your business goals. Where do your people hang out? Twitter? Facebook? Pinterest? You want to be where they are. It makes no sense to have a YouTube channel if your audience only watches videos on Facebook.

It’s better to spend your time on the right platform rather than trying to be active and visible in ALL social media platforms. There are stats demographics about social media that you should check and be aware of so you’ll learn where to focus your marketing efforts.

Tip: Pick the right platform that best suits your brand image, your product and contents.

The first thing to figure out is which platform is best for your business. Not every business needs to be on every single social network. Focus on the platforms that provide the most opportunity for your business.

Always review your business goals and objectives. If you're unsure whether a network is a good fit for your business, start by assessing each platform's purpose and strengths.

Always ask yourself - "What is my company or brand trying to achieve on social media?"

Think broader business objectives (increase brand awareness, drive sales, establish authority, etc). Then, consider tactical aims like driving website traffic, conversions, and the likes.

Can the network help achieve those goals?

Look at the social platform target audience and why people use it. How old is the average user? Are you trying to connect with business owners, or selling products to a particular age group. If traffic is a main objective, then Instagram may not be the best option. If you are a photographer designer or need a strong visual brand, Instagram can work well for you.

Are your customer on that platform?

Think about who you are trying to connect with. Are they on that network? Check out your competitors. Look at which networks they are on and see how they are doing. In some cases you will see businesses on all networks but without much activity.

Choose a social media channel that fits your objectives. If you aren't sure about which social media channel you can choose, Facebook can be a good option, since this social media has a lot of users from different kind of ages and demographics.

The idea is to join the social media game for your business, and later you can choose another channel. Keep in mind that currently there are 3.6 billion users in social media, and it is projected to increase that number in the next years, so social media is becoming a source you can't miss.

3. Reach out to your target market

Understand who your audience is. Your target market is not everyone. Knowing who your audience is, ensures that you can create posts and visuals that will engage them effectively. Be a useful resource of information that they need. What you don't want is followers who are not relevant and therfore will not engage.

Dont forget to engage. When someone reaches out to you - respond. If you see something you like - say so.

4. Build relationships

When people like or comment on your product, engage back! This way, you build a relationship with them. The more you engage with them, the more exposure your brand will have. You rise in the social algorithms, which will in turn, bring you more followers.

Customers like sellers or business owners who respond to their questions about the product before they invest in it. Reply back. It helps build trust. Social media allows you to directly talk and communicate with your customers.

5. Gain more traffic with social media

Build a strong presence and expand your brand reach on social media to generate traffic. To generate traffic, you need to create a profile for your business on different social media platforms. Keep your content and posts fresh and relevant to get more attention. Post videos, share quotes and photos that will encourage conversations. Having quality content is important to engage with customers.

94% of marketers use social media for content distribution. (SEMrush, 2019)

And constantly check what works well with your business, so you can assess what type of content your audience engaged with most and which post received less engagement. Also, make sure that your audience can easily share or retweet your posts. Study your analytics too.

6. Keep an eye on your competitors

Keeping tabs with your competitors is an important social media strategy. By simply looking at their profiles, and browsing their engagements, it will give you a good overview of what the market likes.

7. Partner with influencers

Increase your brand awareness and credibility with the help of influencers. Partner with people who have a large following of your target audience to get into their circle of trust.

Influencers expand your brand’s reach through sponsored posts. They can write a post about your products, post their pictures on Instagram or Facebook and tag your account, or they can make video reviews of your products.

Finding an influencer in your niche immediately give your product or service credibility when the influencers promote it. It doesn’t have to be someone with millions of followers. An influencer with a thousand active followers can still be as powerful if the influencer is followed by your target audience.

8. Generate leads

Social media helps your business generate leads. When a business uses lead generation strategy, they’re more likely to get more sales because they have the idea of who their prospects can be, what type of content they engage with and how business can turn them into customers.

Lead generation ads help your business to cultivate and attract strangers then convert them into potential buyers. They collect target leads.

9. Retargeting

Retargeting is a great marketing strategy to turn windows shoppers into customers. 96% of people visit your website or page and don’t buy. The best way to get them coming back is to interact with them many times through ads. Set up social media retargeting campaigns, with people spending more hours scrolling on their social media accounts, you can engage with more people and connect with potential customers repeatedly.

Retargeting ensures brand visibility, and you can personalize your previous visitors buying experience instead of displaying ads to random social media platform users.

10. Address problems quickly

You will see posts from angry and upset customers on social media. But that’s okay. What matters is how you respond to them. 85% of customers say they give second chances after a bad experience. Respond to them with a personal touch and communicate in a friendly tone. Give a solution or an offer. And lastly, ask them ideas on how you can serve them better.

Complaints and criticisms from upset customers are forms of feedback you can use to provide a better customer experience. Research shows that people will pay more for the products they buy if they had a great experience.

Happy customers, on the other hand, give your business a boost of reputation. Segment Survey Finds Consumers Will Spend More When Their Shopping Experience is Personalized, but Most Retailers are Missing the Mark

When customers are happy, they’re likely to become repeat customers. Customer retention plays a vital role in the growth and success of your brand and services.

You can hire a professional social media management team in the UK, or do it on your own, but it's a must for your business or company to use social media to expand it. Because customers feel closer to their favourite brand via social media platforms, that's why you don't have to lose this valuable source for your business.

Nowadays everyone is on their phones and on social media. You should be there too, and expand sales, brand loyalty, and commitment through engagement and consistent presence.

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