Social media is becoming one of the largest marketing platforms in the world. According to Fast Company, 93% of marketers use social media for business. However, many find it difficult to employ social media marketing without any prior experience. Here are 3 easy ways to utilize social media marketing for your start-up or small business:
1. Engage your Audience
Social media is all about the content. The best way to engage users is to post relevant and intriguing content on a regular basis. Here are some things to keep in mind when curating your post.
- All posts need to be relevant to your target market. You can add value by providing data or information useful to your customers.
- Post frequently and strategically. Posts should go out during off-work hours. People are more likely to engage social media before and after work. Here are the recommendations for frequency:
- Instagram: 1-2 posts a day
- Facebook: 2 posts per day max
- Twitter: 3 tweets a day or more
Another excellent way to engage your audience is to provide customer service via your social media accounts. It is important to engage users who mention your company on social media. Most if not all negative complaints regarding your business should be addressed. This will give your customers confidence that you’re constantly striving to provide top notch customer service and prioritize customer satisfaction.
2. Use the Networks that Matter
There are hundreds of social media platforms out there, but there are only a few worth using. At about 400 million active daily users, Instagram is an excellent platform for engagement. Instagram is especially popular among millennials, if your product is catered towards this demographic, Instagram is your best bet. The other big players include: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. Here’s some general info on these platforms.
- Facebook: Highest volume of daily active users (1.2 billion)
- Twitter: Highest volume of messages (500 million tweets per day). Great for customer service and prospecting new customers.
- LinkedIn: Considered the “professional” network. Excellent tool for B2B marketing and recruiting.
- Google+: Communities are formed on the platform for users to discuss specific topics. Great for hyper-targeted marketing.
3. Build an Online Presence
The best way to reach the largest audience is to increase your number of followers. This tactic is especially useful for small businesses and new start-ups. By increasing the number of followers you’ll begin to increase your credibility and overall traction. At 9.3 million Instagram followers and a wide array of powerful and engaging content, GoPro is a fantastic example of a company that has built and maintained a stellar online presence. Here are some ways to amass more followers:
- Incentivize sharing content: Often times companies will offer raffles or give-aways to anyone who retweets, reposts, or shares their content.
- Use relevant hashtags: This will optimize your content and make it more visible across the platform.
- Purchase followers from 3rd parties: While this is sometimes frowned upon, it’s a simple way to create a “buzz” and is quite commonly used. I’m more for the building it, but this is a decent way.
There are many other more advanced techniques to using social media marketing for your small business. However, if you are new to social media and have a small business of your own, make sure to utilize these three simple techniques to leverage the power of social media marketing!
