Social Media: The Most Affordable Marketing Tool For Small Businesses
Published on 11th July 2022
Social media… the root of all evil or, an essential marketing tool?
A successful business is reliant on its marketing strategy. But, when money is tight, it is not always easy to launch an extensive campaign every month.
The good news is marketing your business might be a little easier than you think, thanks to our new friend: social media.
The growth of social media in the past decade has been immense; from Facebook to Twitter, to Instagram and to TikTok, social media has transformed the way we communicate with each other, extending from friends and family to small businesses and large corporations. With free sign-ups for businesses and 4.2 billion active social media users worldwide, who spend an average of 2hrs and 25 minutes on social channels, there is plenty of time for you to capture their attention.
Now, the only problem is… how exactly do you stand out from the crowd and turn that scroller into a customer!
1. Identify your target audience
Think about who your target audience is and decide which platform will be most effective at reaching them. For example, the largest demographic on the Facebook is a male user between 25- 34 years old whilst the average TikTok user is between 10-19 years old. If you’re not sure on your audience, the best way to start is using your social media analytics to discover who is interacting with your page. As well as knowing which platforms to utilise, you will also have a defined audience that will help you to understand how to adapt your content and maintain their attraction.
2. Engage with your customers
Engaging with your audience on social media is absolutely critical. It will allow you to connect with your customers and build relationships that will, ultimately, encourage them to return. Be sure to introduce yourself, and your team, so that they know the face behind the social media account and make sure that you try to reply to all messages and as many comments as you can. Start a conversation and remember: Stay active, stay reliable and stay relevant! Also, be sure to show some appreciation for your customer’s support - a little thanks can go a long way.
3. Plan your content
It’s easy to create a rough plan in your mind but, life gets busy and before you know it months will have passed without a social media post. Social media content calendars and schedulers are the best way for you to plan and organise upcoming content. You may choose to organise this in the form of a spread sheet or on your calendar but, it must include some key information: the social media site, what the post will be about, what pictures/ videos will be used and the exact time and date it will be posted, plus any other relevant information. Once you have a plan, it is time to put it into action. To schedule these posts, you could use apps like Hootsuite which will post your content at your scheduled time. Staying organised is the best way to stay on top of your social media account and it will save you time from scouring tending topics and news stories every day.
4. Create great content
It is really important to create social media content that connects with your brand audience. The very best content is content that provokes a reaction. So, figure out what sort of content will trigger emotions in your audience and adjust your content accordingly.
Some of our ideas include:
Sharing positive news/ business updates: humans are curious creatures, and it may surprise you to learn just how much they enjoy learning about the day-to-day running of your business. Also, if you share positive updates, it can help people to trust your brand.
Engage with the current climate: even if your band isn’t directly related, or even affected, by the latest news it is worth engaging with what is currently relevant to your audience. For example, you could showcase your brands support towards a cause. This will help to humanise your brand and engage your customers in an indirect manner.
Be brave: creating videos might sound a little daunting, but they have a greater chance at stopping that scroller. Social media videos generate up to 1200% more shares than texts and images combined. So, pull your sleeves up and get creative… what is the worst thing that could happen?
Run a competition: Creating a competition or offering a deal exclusive to your social media. followers will mean that people will be commenting on the post and engaging with it directly. This is a great way to encourage your existing customers to get involved but can also help you to increase brand awareness and grow your social following. These competitions could include a caption contest for a photo or the chance to win a product or a discounted service – the more fun and creative you can make it, the more likely people are to share it with their followers and friends.
Social media might feel overwhelming, but it is important to recognise its potential to reach a wide audience. Create effective and engaging posts will lead to more followers and, eventually, more customers.
If you are looking for a great looking website to go with your new and improved social media marketing strategy, we can help you. Here at it’seeze we create professional, affordable and bespoke websites that will help you to convert your leads from social media into sales and enquiries.
Contact our team today to find out more.
Tagged as: social media marketing
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