Marketing Small Businesses Through Social Media
Social media has completely changed how businesses communicate with their customers. Small businesses can use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn to create an authentic following, display knowledge, and create website traffic, most times without any advertising costs.
The number of platforms available can be overwhelming. Each one has their own unique style, audiences, and best practices. It can lead to burn out trying to be active on all of them.
Where to Put Your Efforts
The most crucial decision in social media strategies is choosing the correct platform. It is determined by who your customers are, what type of content you can produce, and your goals. For a local trade business using Facebook and Instagram will be more beneficial than LinkedIn. For a B2B consultancy the opposite will be true.
Value of Consistency
One of the largest misconceptions of social media is that in order to have a significant impact, posting has to be done frequently. On the contrary, posting consistent and relevant content that is aligned with your objectives is much more impactful than sporadic bursts of activity. Creating a simple content calendar enables you to plan ahead so social media will not become daily burden.
Social Media Advertising
Over time, posts that are published without advertising are referred to as organic social media. These types of posts can foster a sense of community and increase brand awareness.
Paid social ads help target specific audiences, and great results come quickly. Most small businesses start with a combination of organic and paid ads, establishing a voice organically, then adding paid campaigns when budget permits.
Check out the guides below to see how to choose the best social media platform for your business and how to create a simple, sustainable social media content calendar.