Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
As the owner of a small business, half of the battle of getting up and running is getting noticed. You’ve already mastered the product or service, you’ve created a brand for your business and you are ready to start gathering a clientele – but how? Marketing in general is an art that involves a lot of persistence, intention and strategy. There are countless avenues to market your business on; ones that have been around since the beginning and some that are brand new. The important piece is knowing which avenue is best for your specific product and audience – whether that’s radio ads, billboards, the newspaper or, most currently, social media. Most, if not all, small businesses can benefit from social media marketing and seeing as it’s where you can reach the hands of most people, you’d be crazy to sleep on the opportunity.
If you aren’t currently using social media marketing to market your business – it’s time. We’re going to teach you the ins and outs of social media marketing for small businesses; what social media platform to focus on, how to maximize your time and presence on social media and so much more.
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing, also lovingly regarded as SMM, is the use of social media platforms (twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok) to promote your business, attract ideal clients, gain exposure and brand recognition and drive website traffic and sales. Through original and curated content, businesses are able to catch the eye of their target audience, allowing them to engage with their ideal clients and build a relationship before they even invest in their product or service. Social media marketing is arguably the most impactful and worthwhile investment in your marketing strategy – but why? The vast majority of the population is currently spending their time on their social media platform(s) of choice, which means that if you want to get the attention of your target audience, you need to place your business right under their nose. Almost literally. With a good social media marketing strategy, your brand can land in the hands of all the right viewers, giving your business the recognition it needs to be successful.
Why is it important for your small business, specifically?
There are staggering statistics all over the internet about the use of social media in our culture. In fact, over half of the population is currently on at least one social media platform. And what’s even more staggering, is that each of those users is spending approximately 2.5 hours on social media per day. Yes, you read that right. Because of this, social media serves as an easy way to reach your potential clients in a way that works for them. They are already spending their free time on these platforms, so why not meet them where they’re at? Social media gives your business the opportunity to organically and genuinely connect with your target audience, in a way that isn’t forced or obnoxious. We ALL know the feeling of being sold something we aren’t interested in, but with social media you can intentionally share your brand specifically to the people who need it.
As a small business, marketing is even more crucial. When you’re building a small business from the ground up, you have to choose where you spend your resources wisely. You want to get your brand noticed, but you want to have it noticed by the right people. You want your clients to be long-lasting and therefore, building a genuine connection and relationship is crucial. Social media allows for and even promotes that connection. Creating appealing content and implementing a good strategy on social media, will allow you to be seen by your target audience. It also allows you to genuinely engage with your ideal clients to build trust and loyalty. Small businesses thrive on personal connection and long-lasting loyalty and customer satisfaction – all things that can be obtained through smart social media marketing.
Tips to master SMM in your small business
Now that we’ve established the WHY, we need to move on to the HOW. When you first get started on social media as a small business, it can be hard to know where and how to begin. Each social media platform has its own “rules” and tricks of the trade and if you are equipped with some of those, you’re ahead of the game. Here are some of our favorite tools to start your social media marketing journey on the right foot:
1. Identify your target audience.
We talk about the term “target audience” A LOT on our blog, but there’s a reason for that. Your target audience is the community of people or businesses that you are striving to work with. The first step in many aspects of your brand and marketing is to identify your target audience and get to know them well. Ask yourself who will most benefit from your product or service. Who NEEDS it in their life in order to thrive? Once you’ve figured that piece out, you can build a client avatar by gathering as much information as possible about your ideal client. Focus on who they are (demographic), what they absolutely need from you, what they do in their free time, and any other details about what makes them, them. The more detail you gather, the better.
2. Find out what social media platform they use most.
The most important question of all when it comes to SMM, is of course, what is your ideal client’s social media platform of choice? Social media platforms are more plentiful than ever and multiplying by the day, but typically a business or individual gravitates toward one more than the other, and usually this can be indicated by their age, interests, etc. Gathering this information about your ideal client will allow you to strategize where and who YOU will target your marketing to. This information also gives you direction on planning your content, how to create your post captions and hone in on your hashtag strategy where it is applicable.
3. Create content catered to your ideal client.
There are many things to consider when planning your content, but the most important is what your target audience most wants to see. You can share pictures, create informative graphics, make inviting reels or carousels or post funny memes that are relevant to your client. And it all depends on what THEY will want to click on. Some audiences are most drawn to pictures of a certain “aesthetic”, while other audiences much prefer a graphic that teaches them something helpful for their business. No matter what content you choose to create, it’s important to share a variety of different types of posts. Be consistent in your brand but remember to mix it up often to appeal to your audience AND work with the algorithms.
4. Maximize SMM tools.
While some people think that the only strategy to social media marketing is to post a lot, and that is a piece of it, there’s a lot of tips and tricks in how to truly maximize the benefit of social media marketing. For example, if you’re marketing on Instagram, there is an art to how to gain traction and engagement. Using a combination of stories, reels, and posts, while also implementing a hashtag strategy – you can make the most of your presence and have the farthest reach. Beyond Instagram, you should learn the ins and outs of each platform and what “rules” apply to each one. What works on LinkedIn does not necessarily work on Facebook, and not all social media platforms are created equal.
5. Engage, engage, engage.
When we say to focus on engagement, we don’t just mean with your followers. Of course, you want to genuinely connect with your target audience; you can do this through actively responding to comments, responding to messages quickly or liking/commenting on THEIR content. This will build a more organic connection with them, which can translate into a trusting and long-lasting relationship. Building a rapport with you clients, before they even become clients, is an incredible key to success. In addition to engaging with your followers, you want to be intentional about pursuing engagement with those outside of your following. Landing on your target audience through hashtag searches allows you to reach out to them in a totally non-invasive, non-pushy and completely (our favorite word) organic way. You can like their content, write a quick comment or respond to their stories in a conversational way – not only to grab their attention, but to put down the groundwork for a reciprocal business relationship.
6. Build your social media presence around your brand.
Have you ever gone to a small business’ social media feed and noticed that their content, color scheme, graphics and captions are all working intrinsically with one another? That’s their brand shining through and we love to see it. As we’ve talked about, a brand package includes brand fonts, a color palette, logo design and so much more. The beauty of social media, is that it’s a place to integrate all of those things and show the world what your business has to offer. It’s like window shopping for a local boutique; an important and impactful first impression. When people stumble upon your business’ social media account, you want them to see clearly who you are, what you have to say and to see your values and voice in every aspect of it from your bio to your feed posts to your profile picture. It all counts and serves as an opportunity to share your brand…so don’t sleep on it!
If we haven’t made it clear enough by now, social media marketing is an integral tool in marketing your small business. In fact, it is arguably the best form of marketing in the business currently. It allows you to express your brand, connect with your target audience and potential clients, as well as grow your reach as a small business – all while promoting your product or service in the way you want to. Like we mentioned, social media is the home to over half of the population, which means your small business has immediate access to those individuals. So take advantage of the opportunity and implement a social media marketing strategy using these helpful tips.
And if you need more help than what you found here, reach out to us to book a free consultation where we can answer all your questions and get to know what your business needs!
