4 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

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April 13, 2023 Marketing

Even if you have just launched your first business, social media is one of the most effective, wallet-friendly ways to market yourself. An astounding 72% of people use social media multiple times a day, so it comes as no surprise why it is such a powerful marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. And while you may have had private accounts on Instagram or Twitter for years, using social media channels to promote your business is a whole other thing.

You can use social media to achieve several different goals, such as building your brand, establishing credibility, generating word-of-mouth recommendations, nurturing relationships with existing customers, or connecting with potential customers. Or maybe you simply want to use social media to get people to visit your website and learn about what you have to offer.

However, despite the perks of social media, as a small business, it is still very easy to lose sight of your business account or get too promotional.

In this article, we offer some tips on how to navigate social media effectively as a small company.

Be Careful What You Post

As many businesses use social media channels like Twitter or Instagram for networking purposes and a place to grow and directly connect with their audience, you must make sure to take precautions as to what you post. This also applies to your post history. A company, especially a small one, can, for instance, find itself in hot water over an old controversial tweet. This can damage the business’s reputation.

The best protection for this is the automatic deletion of your Twitter history. There are many services available to help businesses manage their Twitter history and wipe it clean. All you have to do is go online, type in “delete my tweets” in your browser, and you’ll find a web tool that can effortlessly mass delete your posts based on their age or specific content.

Deliver Value and Encourage Engagement

Your goal should be to have your audience engage with you. This means to have them like, subscribe, follow, share, and comment.

Your reach on social media increases with every interaction you make. Your small business will be more popular if followers interact with you. Ask your audience to answer questions and encourage them to tag their friends with thought-provoking or funny content.

By sharing tips, practical advice, or simply products and an introduction of the company’s team members, you can build valuable relationships that in the long run can lead to more business or simply strengthen your brand. People like it when they can relate to a certain product, promotion, or service. Create content that your followers can identify with, like, or simply benefit from.

Keep a Close Eye on Competitors

Although it may sound odd, social media can be a great way for you to observe your competitors. You can monitor their performance, see the type of content they’re posting, and how they interact with their followers, and thus draw inspiration.

You can also learn a lot from your competition through social media. There must be a good explanation of why your competitors are performing better than you. You should observe their strategies but not just copy them. You might not always be able to do what they do, and it may not work for you as it works for them. Instead, adapt their ideas to your liking or come up with new, unique ones.

Build Trust with Customers

Social media is more than a tool for selling products or services. As a small business, you have the chance to build trust with your audience and develop loyal customers. If you’re looking to develop a loyal fan base, your social media content should be authentic, original, relatable, engaging, and relevant to your audience.

One tip to ensure that your content is high quality is to work with an influencer who can promote your products or services. Influencers’ main task is to share their experiences regarding the product you sell and this is one of the greatest advantages of working together.

Their stories are authentic, real, and engaging and customers tend to relate to these people and believe them. The most challenging part about this is finding a relevant influencer for your business. However, there are many options and tools available for finding the most suitable influencer based on follower count, engagement rate, and niche.

In Closing

Working with social media can sound a bit scary and difficult to some, but the fact is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Your social media channel is an extension of your small business to interact and communicate with customers, prospects, and others. As long as you manage your accounts well, keep a positive brand, post regularly, and make sure to respond to those who want to talk to you, you’ll be fine.