Easily Getting Started with Social Media Marketing: A simple guide for small businesses.
Hey you, small business owner, we’re here to help! We know Social Media Marketing can seem overwhelming especially when you’re not quite sure how to go about it, or how it even works. With all the other responsibilities of running a small business, who has the time to learn about Social Media Marketing?? But the truth is, social media marketing doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming and it can actually be a lot of fun and a great way to interact with your customers and potential customers.
With just a few simple steps, you can begin to grow your social media presence, connect with your target audience, and drive more customers to your business.
Here’s a quick overview of how to get started with Social Media Marketing, the easy way.
1. Choose the Right Platforms
“Platforms” is a word used for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. You don’t need to be on every social media platform, just the ones that make sense for your business and audience and that you can utilize easily. You’ll want to figure out where your audience hangs out and are most active. It’s ok if you don’t know this right away, in time you’ll figure it out. Here’s a quick overview of the major platforms and how they’re utilized:
Facebook: Ideal for local businesses and community engagement.
Instagram; Perfect for visual brands like retail, food, or fashion
LinkedIn: Best for B2B (business to business) or professional services. You may think that doesn’t sound like your customers will be there but connecting with other businesses could easily lead to new customers.
TikTok: This platform offers great potential for creative marketing. The funner, the better with this one!
2. Set Clear Goals
Don’t just get on Social Media to say you’re on it. You’ll need to set some goals. What do you want to achieve with social media marketing? Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, or boosting sales, having specific goals will help you stay focused on why you’re there.
A lot of people have success with setting SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
For example, instead of saying, “I want more followers,” set a goal of “I want to gain 100 new followers on Instagram in the next month.”
3. Create a Content Plan
Here’s where most people get stuck and discouraged. What do you post?? Content is what Social Media Marketing is all about and comes in many forms: pictures, videos, guides, blogs, etc. Having a Content Plan helps you figure out what to create and when to post it. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:
Who are you, what’s your why? Introduce yourself and explain why you started your small business, what’s your passion, what are your goals with your business, etc. People love to do business with people they can relate to and feel a connection with.
Promotions and Deals: You don’t always want to be selling, being social is key on “social” media, but you don’t want to grow your business. Share special offers and promos to attract customers.
Behind-the-scenes: Show the human side of your business with behind the scenes stuff, how your product is made, how you spend your day, etc.
Customer Testimonials: Showcase happy customers and their experiences
How-Tos and Tips: People love How-Tos and Life Tips. If this is something you can do with your business, all kinds of fun content can be created.
Consistency is key, so try to plan your content out in advance, that way you’ll always have content to post and know what’s up next. Having a Simple Content Calendar can help you stay organized.
4. Engage with your Audience
Actually being social on Social Media is the main ingredient to a delicious recipe of success ( we must be getting hungry)! Don’t just “set it and forget it!” Social Media is a two-way street and if you’re not there to engage with your audience, they’ll move onto the next. You can easily interact with your audience, and form great connections, by responding to comments, messages, requests, and reviews. This not only builds relationships but also increases your visibility on the platform. Social Media Platforms favor accounts that are active and have a lot of customer engagement.
You don’t have to be on social media all the time but you should make it a habit to check your accounts daily, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
5. Monitor Your Results
Finally you’ll want to keep an eye on how you’re doing. Are you just out there with not much going on, or are people stopping by and reacting to your posts? Most platforms offer tools like analytics that can help you track your progress and see what’s working and what’s not, and then you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
For example, if you notice that your audience engages more with videos, consider incorporating more videos into your plan.
Wrapping Up
Starting with Social Media Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. By choosing platforms you’re comfortable with, setting clear goals, planning your content, engaging with your audience and monitoring your results, you can create a simple and effective social media strategy that helps your small business grow. Start small and build from there, you don’t have to have the most perfect page to get started, you just need to start so you can learn how to use it effectively and figure out what your customers and potential customers want. As you get more comfortable, you can explore more advanced strategies and tools. But for now, just focus on getting started- and most importantly be social and have fun with it!
If you’re looking for more tips and tricks on how to easily use Social Media Marketing for your Small Business, or would like more information on what we discussed or how to better utilize the steps, please feel free to sign up for our newsletter.
We’re here to help make Social Media Marketing simple,easy, and fun for small business owners like you!
