Social media has become such a prominent part of our lives.  Whether we’d like to admit it or not, most of us are glued to our phones checking Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, the list goes on and on.  We’re on these social media platforms to keep up with our favorite celebrities, friends and brands.  Utilizing social media for small business marketing is a fantastic way to advertise your business, products and services for free. If you maximize the benefits that social media has to offer, it is a great marketing tool to engage with customers, build brand awareness and increase your customer base by turning followers into customers.  

It’s incredibly beneficial for businesses to have an online presence on multiple social media platforms because it increases the chance of reaching as many customers as possible.  If you find it difficult to manage so many platforms, then it’s important to focus on where your target audience would most likely be active.  If your brand or business offers products or services that targets a younger audience, Snapchat Instagram and Tik Tok are heavily used platforms by younger generations.  If you are targeting mature audience members, then Facebook and LinkedIn would be a good place to have a heavier social media presence.  

Once your business profile has been created, it’s important to stay active and present.  Consider posting every day or setting up a posting schedule but understand the difference between good content and spamming your followers.  For example, if your small business is selling skincare products, good content would be letting your followers know about a new line you are carrying.  While you want to remind your followers that your business exists, they don’t want to see post after post filling their feed with your content.  If you want to make multiple posts in one day, it’s a good idea to use the “stories” feature on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.  This way your followers can look at your story if they want, but it’s not crowding their feed.

Owning a business can mean your hands are full and staying active and present on social media can be time consuming.  Using an automation software to schedule your posts in advance can relieve the burden of social media marketing.  You can set a date and time for future posts and it will automatically post the content you’ve prepared in advance.  In addition, these types of program are useful for keeping up with your followers’ comments.  It can send messages to your business inbox and you can reply directly from the software rather than logging onto your social media platform.

Many shoppers prefer small businesses over large corporate businesses because of the opportunity for personalization.  Small businesses take the time to communicate and engage with their customers.  People that follow small businesses on social media are usually a fan of your brand or service, curious about your brand, interested in promotions and giveaways, looking for recommendations or received a referral from a friend or family member.  Getting more followers increases your chances of selling your products or services.  If you’re looking to gain more followers, consider running contests, flash sales, discounts or giveaways exclusive to your followers.  You can partner in marketing campaigns with other local businesses or host contests where your followers must post a picture with your product to be entered to win a prize.  Alternatively, you can pay for advertising on social media platforms or utilize influencer marketing.  

It can be challenging finding content to post daily.  Some ideas for content include telling your brand’s story, introducing employees and their role in your brand, broadcast livestream videos of how your product is made.  Showcase exclusive behind the scenes footage of your business boosts follower engagement and makes followers feel connected to your business.

Bottom line is that if your business isn’t on social media, you’re missing out on a lot of great marketing opportunities and chances to engage with your customers.  Take advantage of the various platforms available and welcome customer feedback, reviews and concerns to help your business improve and build an online community around your business.