SO…you’ve started your own business. First off, nice work! For many entrepreneurs out there, getting started is a huge step and a dream come true. Now that you have brought that dream to life, how do you make it grow? How do you hold your own as a small business owner in an incredibly competitive landscape? In recent years, social media marketing has quickly evolved into a pretty essential aspect of getting a newly bloomed business off the ground and helping a well-established business hold its own in the digital backdrop. From Facebook to Instagram, there’s a social media platform out there that will help support your business goals while working to establish brand identity and creating an open and engaging forum for your clients and customers. While not all social media channels are ideal for every company, finding the right fit is key. Here are some quick tips for how to market your business on social media….and, step one: get started!
Don’t forget to listen. Yes, you will be using social media to market your business, but that definitely doesn’t mean it’s a one-way street. Striking a balance between promoting your business and using social media to build an open forum and a community is essential. Remember to spend part of your time answering questions and talking with your clients and customers and sparking up conversation to get the scoop on what they really think.
Think quality over quantity. You certainly will benefit from being consistent with the number of and timing of your posts – but don’t forget that quality reigns supreme. Your followers, clients, customers and supporters will respond positively when you provide content that has substance, is chock full of info and even provides something to learn.
Find the platform that works for you and your business. Not every business thrives on every social media channel – in fact, developing a strategy to find success on one or two channels is probably the best place to start. Is your business really image and design heavy? Than Instagram might be the perfect platform for your growing social media community. Perhaps your clients and customers are more interested in discussing and learning about current events – Twitter might be a great spot for curating some excellent social media content. Think about the personality of your brand and which social media channels most directly align.
Follow similar businesses, individuals and communities. In order to build an online community, making a concerted effort to become part of other, related communities is essential. Developing relationships and a network of sharing will help get your own marketing messages delivered and shared with a broader community. Remember – it’s a give and take – and it’s all about networking.
Be open and accessible. People flock to social media in order to have access to the human side of business and making sure your clients and customers have access to a real human with real answers is essential for showing authenticity. When you’re responsive and solution-oriented, customers will spread that message – essentially doing your marketing for you.
Have you tried using social media to help build the visibility of your business? Have you learned any tricks of the trade?
