Marketing small business using social media

Why use social media to market your business?

Marketing on social media is a great way to build customer loyalty, develop relationships and increase sales in your small business.  But with an increasing number of social media platforms it can be difficult to work out where to focus your effort…is Facebook dead if you don’t spend money on advertising? Do you REALLY need to be great at reels to succeed on Instagram?  Do you HAVE to be on TikTok? How are you even meant to fit it all in whilst also running your business..? 🤷‍♀️

Effective social media can be a really useful way for small businesses to market themselves. From improving website traffic and increasing sales to helping you build a meaningful connection with your customers, marketing on social media is a cost effective way of bringing your products and services to a wider audience. I’m going to show you how to focus your efforts for best effect.

How to decide what social media platforms to use?

The good news here is that there is not one right answer to this question because the right social media activity for your business is entirely individual to your business. The other good news (see, no bad news here) is that you already have the answer because you know your customer best and the ultimate answer to this question is that you should be where your customers are. With just a little bit of thought, you can easily establish where you should focus your time and attention.

Conjuring up your ideal customer

‘Ideal customers’ (sometimes called ‘user personas’ or ‘avatars’) are descriptions of who you are aiming your products and services at.  They are the foundation of all good marketing. They allow you to create a human face for your target market, which makes it easier to understand their needs and desires.  They also help you to create more effective marketing campaigns by targeting your messages more accurately. They are a writing tool to help you talk to the individual whilst speaking to the masses.

In order to create a picture of your ideal customer, you’ll need to gather some information about your target market. This includes demographic information like age, gender, location, and income level, as well as psychographic information like interests, values, and lifestyles. Once you have this information, you can begin to craft a persona that represents your ideal customer and allows you to make an informed decision about where they are most likely to spend their time online -  and crucially,  the type of content they are most likely to respond to.  Don’t look now, but you’ve got the basics of a marketing strategy here…if the idea of this feels scary, or you just don’t want to do it, I can do this for you or hold your hand through the process.  It’s actually one of the things I most love doing in my business!

How can small businesses create a marketing strategy that works?

As a small business owner, you may be wondering how you can create a social media strategy. It can seem daunting to try and compete with the big brands, but there are a few things you can do to make your voice heard.

First, identify goals for your social media. Do you want to increase the number of people who know about you (brand awareness)?  Drive traffic to your website? Increase sales? Once you know what you want to achieve, you can tailor your activity accordingly.

Next, look at your goals and the user persona you’ve created side-by-side. Spend some time thinking about which social media platforms best fit your goals and which fit your ideal customer.  If you’ve done this work thoroughly, and it’s in alignment, the social media platforms will be the same for both. 

Once you’ve set your goals and chosen your channels, it’s time to start creating content.

Creating content that connects with your customers

The key to using social media effectively is to create engaging content that will interest your target audience. Varying the format will keep things interesting for your followers.  You can use blog posts, videos, infographics, or even just simple status updates. You also need to be active on social media and respond to comments and questions from followers.

Before you start, make sure that your social media profiles are complete and up-to-date. Include a link to your website and a call-to-action such as ‘get in touch if you have any questions’. Make sure that your profile descriptions are keyword rich, so that people who are searching for information about your products or services will be more likely to find you.

Social media content creation tips for small businesses

It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to creating social media content. You want to make sure you are putting out quality content that will engage your audience and encourage them to buy from you but you also don’t have the time or resources to dedicate a lot of time to this task. Here are a few tips that can help you get started:

1. Plan ahead - The worst thing you can do is try to come up with content on the fly. Spend some time each week planning out what you want to post, and make sure you have a variety of topics covered so you aren’t always posting the same thing.

2. Use tools like Canva to create graphics or videos yourself and Buffer to schedule your content so that you don’t have to remember to post.

3. Use existing content from reputable sources by adding your unique spin on things - don’t forget to acknowledge the original poster

4. Comment on other social media platforms to help increase reach and engagement with your followers.

5. Find people to collaborate with - their content should be good quality and relevant to your audience. Perhaps there is someone in a local business group that is suitable - it’s worthwhile doing some research and asking the question.

And finally…

Small businesses should market themselves on social media because it is a cost-efficient and very effective way to reach a large audience. Social media platforms are user-friendly and can be customised to fit the needs of your business. The most important things to remember are: to be consistent; keep your content interesting and; be sociable online. By engaging with your followers, you can create a strong relationship that leads to customer loyalty and increased sales.

Wondering what we could achieve together?

Me too! So why don’t we have a chat?