For many small businesses, social media can seem a bit overwhelming and it is. Knowing the ins and outs of all the platforms, understanding the dos and don’ts of promotions, the extra time and money to stay on top of it all, and the list goes on and on. The Website Design Centre team have collated their top 10 social media tips for small businesses to help you determine what you should be doing to leverage social media for your business.
- Start with your staff. Chances are, your staff already has some extensive social media networks that can benefit your business. Ask you staff to engage with your social media and share it with their friends – ultimately it’s in their best interest that your business succeeds. Not only will their friends see it, but friends of friends and so forth – already your reach is greatly extended.
- Advertising on social media, particularly ads that drive traffic to a promotion – free giveaway, discount coupons – are highly effective. This type of advertising has the benefits of being extremely targeted, inexpensive and can even be automated.
- Customer service is now a 24/7 task so involve others. Take the time to recognise and engage with the people most actively contributing to your social media platforms. Connect with these ‘unpaid ambassadors’ and they will be more likely to address other customer queries and concerns if you are unable to. Don’t forget to thank them when they do and maybe offer them something nice every now and then.
- Approach social media promotions and events as a child would. Stay with me for a minute! Childs have this natural, instinctive way that they approach things – with all of their senses as well as their sense of adventure and wonder. Measuring, sourcing, posting, reading metrics for your social media accounts day in and day out can be tedious but if you approach it with a sense of fun and in an enthusiastic way so are more likely to really connect with your fans – they will be swept up and want to engage with you.
- Measure, measure, measure – you need to know what’s working and what isn’t, otherwise you are just wasting time and money – enough said.
- Get everyone involved – have your sales force utilise social media platforms such as LinkedIn and ask your team to participate in social media events that will promote your business.
- Organic is great but sometimes you need to put your money where your mouth is. Let’s put it this way – if you are only reaching people organically then it’s like still hanging out with the same kids from high school. A paid social media campaign will bring new friends into your circle.
- Utilise social media to clearly address what your customers (and potential customers) care about – cost or pricing questions, product or service comparison questions, review-based questions, and issues, concerns or problem questions. You can also use social media to address those frequently asked questions and free up some of your team’s customer service time.
- Focus on the social media platforms where your customers hang out. Not all platforms and audiences are created equal. Do some research and find out exactly where your customers, and those you want to do business with, are.
- Get help. No one has the skills or time to do everything. If social media isn’t your forte or your schedule just doesn’t allow for the regular time it requires, get some help. The team at Website Design Centre would be happy to talk your through you social media management options.
