Social media is important for small business owners as it helps your business gain the exposure you need to be successful. Social media marketing is a form of marketing where businesses use social networking sites to promote their products and services.
This is done by creating content that can be shared on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, and Twitter.
While social media marketing is powerful, that doesn’t mean you can’t misuse it. There are a number of small business social media marketing ‘dos and don’ts’ to know about if you want to succeed. And these apply to large businesses too!
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Small Business Social Media Marketing Strategy
These common dos and don’ts on social media will help your business make the most impact.
While social media is essential to reach your target audience, that doesn’t mean you’ll see results if you use it wrong.
Do: Complete Your Profiles
Your social media profiles reflect your self-identity and first impression for potential clients. A consistent profile with your industry and personality will attract more clients and greater interest from potential employers. In addition, your brand should reflect the character of your company to gain a reputable position.
Don’t: Join All Social Media Platforms
Social media channels offer a useful way to engage with followers and build brand awareness. First, however, you must pick the right social media platform for your business. The content you share and who your audience is will determine which social media platforms will work best for you.
Do: Share Engaging Content Regularly
To be successful, you need to create and share content regularly. You can do this by posting regular updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. You should also post links or pictures of your products on these platforms or write blog posts.
Don’t: Over Share and Spam
Social media marketing is just a new way of connecting with customers and promptly responding to their queries. However, nothing is more uncomfortable than scrolling through a social media feed littered with spam posts. First, it’s annoying, and second, it leads to people blindly unfollowing or blocking you, so you should never overshare.
The key is to determine when the right time to share is for your target audience. For example, if you know they use social media in the morning, you should share only during that time.
Do: Get to Know and Use Your Platform Features
Use hashtags and other platform features to engage with your audience.
Each social media platform offers features that are designed to help you communicate and engage with your audience better and easier. For example, you can use the #hashtag feature on Twitter to help your posts appear in narrower searches. On Instagram, you can use the like and comment features to build a community of people interested in what you have to say.
Don’t: Assume Who Your Audience Is
Don’t make assumptions about your audience on social media. Making assumptions can be seen as rude, redirects your audience away from your content, and leaves out essential information. For example, assuming your audience is just like you and knows just as much as you, the content you create will likely not make the impact for which you are hoping.
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We all make mistakes. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. In the world of online business, you’re going to make some minor boo-boos and some cataclysmic mistakes. It’s all part of the learning process.
Although mistakes are going to happen, you can avoid the common digital marketing mistakes and other pitfalls that are lurking around the corner. Download my free checklist, A Guide To Online Business Mistakes, and avoid the false moves and slipups that even veteran online entrepreneurs make.