If you’re a small business or nonprofit organization, it’s important that you have a consistent presence online. If someone hears about your business from a friend or finds your business through an online search, they’re likely headed to your social media to check out who you are and what you do.
If you haven’t posted on social media for a while, they may wonder if you’re still in business or how responsive you are to customers. On the other hand, if your social media posts help them get to know you as a business, it puts them one step closer to doing business with you.
Here are six social media tips for small business to get you started down a successful path.
Know your audience
Who exactly are you wanting to reach with your business? What matters to them? Can you get inside of their mind? If you want to take this a step deeper, it may even be beneficial to develop client personas so that you can really put yourself in their shoes. Once you really know your audience, you can move on to questions about how to reach them.
Choose the right platforms
Where can you find your target audience? What platforms are a good fit for your business and both the time and budget you can allocate to social media? The right platforms for your business may differ from the platforms your friends or your competition use.
Be consistent with your content
The key to a strong social media strategy is staying consistent. When you’re developing your strategy, keep in mind how much time and energy you can realistically put towards your content. Start small, if needed, and build from there so you can stay consistent.
Know your voice
It’s important to not only know your message, but also how you say it. You want your content to be consistent and sound consistent. What is your brand’s voice? Is it strictly professional and educational? Is it fun and personable? Or is it a little bit of both? Know your voice and stick to that voice.
Mix up your content
When creating a social media strategy, be sure to mix up your content. Not every post should be about selling your services — you also want to include some educational or informative content and some posts that help followers get to know the people behind your business. In some cases, you may want to include third party links on topics relevant for your industry, or some fun posts such as testimonials and motivational quotes.
Engage with your followers
Sometimes business owners put in all the work to get the content created and scheduled, and then don’t touch it for a while. Engagement matters on social media! Make sure you get notified when someone likes, comments, or shares a post so you can jump in later that same day and reply to encourage more engagement.
Successful social media for small business requires knowing your audience and voice, choosing the right platforms, creating consistent and interesting content, and engaging with your followers. Sometimes easier said than done, but it’s worth the time and/or budget investment to have consistent social media for your business.
Looking for a little more help with your small business social media?
Check out our resource guide Social Media For Small Businesses and Nonprofits: Simple Tips for Success. It’s a simple, straightforward workbook with helpful information and planning questions to help you create a clear, consistent approach to social media.
If you’re ready to hand off social media to a trusted partner, schedule an intro call to discuss our services and how we can help.