For small businesses, the world of social media can be overwhelming. It is likely that as a small business owner you do not have the resources in terms of finance or staff to develop your own digital marketing team or to hire a digital marketing agency to help with social media. In today’s internet fuelled world, it is essential for every business to have a strong online presence. Building up customer relationships relies heavily on social media and failing to stay on top of this platform will lead to you losing out to competitors whose social media game is strong. Here are some tips that could help you build up your social media savvy.
Get Started Now
Do not delay this any longer than necessary. Get started with social media now. It takes time to build up a following for any social media outlet. Start now and work on your profile as your learn.
Competitor Research
If you don’t know where to start then have a look into your competitors to find out what platforms they use. You will be able to see clearly which platforms have the most customer interaction and positive response.
Make a Detailed Plan
Don’t try and take on too many platforms at first. Two is enough to begin with. Get plenty of content prepared first, you could even prep a few weeks’ worth. This means you can plan out your posts in advance and give yourself plenty of time to come up with new content. Naturally the point of social media is that is works in real time so eventually you will want some of your content to engage with current themes. That will come in time once you have a handle on your social media platform.
Branding
Your social media should represent your brand. The same as traditional marketing you should really know your customers and what they want to see. Again by looking at competitors you can find your customer base. Research what they are liking and sharing. This is the content you want to recreate as long as it is on brand and relevant.
Customer Interaction
After you are all set up you should host a competition or giveaway. You could take out a social media ad asking customers to follow you, like and share one of your posts for the chance to win some products. This is a great way to build a following plus it keeps customers interested. Brands who are willing to do one giveaway are likely to do more in the future. Also you should ensure you are interacting with your followers. Follow your customers, like their posts and always reply if you receive any messages or comments directed to your business on social media. A lot of people use social media as their first point of contact with friends and will view it as bad customer service if their messages or direct comments go ignored.