Your Small Business Social Media Guide
Small Business Social Media 101
As a small business owner, it's easy to see social media as one of your company's "I'll get to that someday" aspects. From handling your finances to developing a marketing strategy, there are plenty of tasks that can compete for your attention.
But social media is more than a nice-to-have in 2022 - it's a must-have for businesses operating in the digital age.
You likely have social media for your personal use - accounts that you use to connect with friends and share updates about your life. It's the same concept but on a much larger scale for business social media platforms.
Today's enterprises must have a solid digital presence to survive and increase opportunities and success. So if you find yourself saying, "Well, that's nice, but I'm not really the marketing type," it may be time to rethink your lack of social media strategy.
Even without a lot of know-how, you can establish an effective social media presence that will better position your company for success moving forward.
This guide will break down the steps to creating and managing a social media plan specific to your small business. We'll break it down into four key components - why, what, how, and tools.
Let's get started and see how you can start using social media for your small business!
Why is Social Media Important for Your Business?
Before we jump into setting up accounts and crafting content, we need to take a step back and look at the overall importance of social media for small businesses.
The first thing you need to know is this: if you aren't on social media, your competition probably is. Social media simply cannot be an afterthought if you want to maintain a competitive edge in the digital age.
But even more critical than simple participation in the conversation is the ability to listen and engage with customers.
Social media gives companies the unique ability to engage with their audience and learn valuable information about their likes and dislikes, what they're saying about your brand and competition, and where conversations occur.
Your social media accounts can be an incredible source of intel for your small business - data you need to make informed decisions about everything from product offerings to marketing strategies.
What Does Social Media Look Like for Small Businesses?
Once you understand the importance of social media, it's time to actually get started. But where do you begin? From Facebook to LinkedIn and every Google page in-between, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.
The good news is that you don't need to be on every platform at this very moment - just pick one or two and start building your network before expanding into more channels. While each platform has its own unique audience, there are enough overlaps in demographics that can help your business achieve success across the board.
For many small businesses, it can be easier to consider social media accounts as targeting different aspects of your business.
Communication: This can include customer service and real-time support, as well as your brand's prominent voice and tone. The best social media accounts for this are Facebook and Twitter.
Customer Engagement: This aspect of social media focuses more on relationships with your customers. It can be used to show a human side of your business, welcome new people into the fold, and get feedback from current customers. The best platforms for this are LinkedIn and Instagram.
Informational: While this is similar to communication, informative accounts are typically more focused on news and updates about your product or service. This type of account is best suited for channels like Google My Business and Pinterest.
Community Connection: This aspect of social media focuses more on the overall community and what you have to offer. This angle can be unique for every business, but common examples include YouTube and Yelp.
As you can see, different social media platforms are great for various aspects of your business. Rather than try to conquer all channels at once, consider which of the above categories your business falls into, and start there.
For example, if you're an established small business looking to branch out into the community, consider using your Facebook page to focus more on customer engagement. Try serving the needs of your current customers rather than pushing promotions and posting links to blog posts (like an informational account would).
Once you know which social media accounts are right for your business, you can begin setting them up. But, first, let's look at how you do that:
The good news is that you don't need to be on every platform at this very moment - just pick one or two and start building your network before expanding into more channels.
How Do You Set Up The Right Social Media Strategy?
Setting up your social media accounts is relatively easy, but it can seem a bit overwhelming if you haven't done it before. That's why we're going to break down the process into a step-by-step process:
Phase 1: Strategy and Planning
You cannot have a successful social media presence without having a plan first. Your business needs to decide what it wants from its accounts, who the audience is and how it will engage with clients.
Know Yourself: What Are Your Goals?
You should use different channels and accounts for various purposes, as we've mentioned. So before you get started setting up your social media accounts, sit down and think about what your goals are and who you want to reach.
For instance, if you're a small business looking to expand into the community aspect of social media (like through YouTube), think about some of those goals. Perhaps you want to share tutorials on using your product or give behind-the-scenes videos of your offices and team members.
Know Your Audience: Who Are You Targeting?
Building a rapport with the right audience is the first crucial step in creating an engaging social media account.
Again, we can use YouTube to illustrate this example. Your audience on YouTube is much different from your audience on Facebook or Instagram, so make sure you know who you're trying to reach before you begin.
Check Your Competition: How Are Other Businesses Doing?
A great way to get a handle on what works for others in your industry is to check out your competition. You can use social media search tools or simply look at what your competitors are doing and learn from them.
Once you know who you're targeting, what your goals are, and how other businesses in your industry are engaging with their audience, it's time to move on to the next phase: creating your accounts.
Phase 2: Account Creation
This is where the process gets a bit more technical. There are a few different ways to set up your accounts, but the easiest is to use a business page. These are the accounts that you'll use to push promotions and keep people updated on your product or service.
Once you know the channels you will be targeting, create accounts and store the log-in information safely.
Always use a professional email address, and password-protect all your log-in information. This way, anyone who has permission to post can access the accounts quickly, but your social media strategy is still safe from prying eyes.
Phase 3: Content Strategy
Now that your accounts are set up, it's time to make them actually work for you by creating a content strategy for each. This is the most essential step in setting up a social media account and keeping it active.
You can choose to create content for your accounts yourself, or you can hire a team to help you create it. The choice is yours, but try to use tools that save time and track metrics to ensure your content strategy is working for you.
Here are a few practical tips for creating engaging content:
Think of your audience: what are they interested in? Then, take some time to research your target market and truly understand their interests, what media they consume and how they like to interact with brands on social media.
Think about your brand: Everyone has a different voice, but it's essential to choose one that feels true to your company. You can always change it later if you feel like your identity is shifting, but try to create something that feels authentic.
Post consistently: Social media works best when used regularly. People have become accustomed to seeing businesses in their social media feeds multiple times a day, so plan out how often you'll post and try to stick to it. Utilize a scheduling tool such as Later to ensure that your content goes out even when you're not at your desk.
Make sure your content is engaging: People come to social media with the idea that they will be entertained, so try using images and videos that catch their attention. You can even integrate contests or polls into your posts for added engagement.
Take advantage of analytics: Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all offer analytics to track how many people interact with your posts. Try using a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer that tracks metrics across multiple platforms for you.
Phase 4: Monitoring Your Accounts
You must be vigilant in watching your accounts and the content you're putting out. If someone is saying something negative about your brand, address it immediately. Also, make sure you don't forget to engage with people interacting with your posts!
There are a lot of free and paid tools that will help you keep track of what's going on across all of your different accounts.
It's crucial to find the best ones for you and start utilizing them to track success. Soon, you'll notice what content is working with your audience, and you can continue to create in that direction!
The Key to Small Business Social Media? Consistency
Every social media account owner dreams of going viral (for the right reasons.) But, while many swear by various techniques, they all agree on one thing: consistency.
By staying consistent across your select channels, you can ensure that you are always sharing the same message with your existing customers and growing their love for your business.
With time, you will begin to build a loyal customer base willing to share your content, which will help grow your reach. These will, in turn, become your most significant referral source for new customers, so continue to communicate with them regularly.
If you are ready to take your small business social media to new heights, partner with an expert who can give you a competitive edge. LMR Consulting has the experience and expertise to help you build a social media presence that increases your most essential metrics.
Schedule a consultation today and learn how LMR Consulting can help you conquer social media this year!
