Communication has changed immensely over the last century from the use of telephones to fax machines to email and now social media. It has connected us like never before at all moments of the day and allows business owners a new channel to speak with customers. As average users spend 144 minutes a day on social media, it is a powerful tool for small businesses to make a big impact with little cost. Below out a guide to grow your business through social media.
- Know Your Audience & Who You Are Connected With
Often business owners start adding content to social media though find it hard to gain followers. As a first step, businesses should look to others for inspiration. Owners should follow relevant hashtags to find more accounts with similar interests. Start following your customers. They already like your business, though they might not know you have a social media account. Look for bloggers and influencers who have the same interests as you can gain a lot of inspiration from them. When you start engaging with these influencers often their followers could become yours as well.
- Build Relationships, That Is Why It Is Called ‘Social’ Media
The unique benefit of social media marketing for a small business is that it allows you to talk directly to customers and followers. You can build relationships over time, rather than asking for a sale upfront. Mention followers in your posts and stories. If a fan tags you in an Instagram Story, you’ll get a notification in your direct messages. Be sure to re-share as it’s an easy win-win. Just liking posts or commenting with an emoji is not enough. Making relevant comments will get you noticed by the accounts and their followers.
- Create Relevant Content That Your Audience Wants
Too often owners think that following a lot of accounts and engaging with them means they will follow you back. You will start to gain more followers when people see you have relevant content. A social media calendar helps you post the right content to the right social channel at the right time. It should include a plan for your content mix. Try starting with the 80-20 rule. Use 80% of your content to inform, educate, or entertain your audience. Use the other 20% to promote your brand or sell your products.
- Social Media Changes, So Should You
Algorithms are constantly changing and what worked a couple of months ago might not work today. It is easy to create an account and post a couple of times but don’t forget the “social” in social media. Unless you are a celebrity or an established brand, your followers aren’t going to just find you. Try new posts, try more images, try more copy, make it fun and remember to just keep engaging.
As you grow your business online, we hope this helps as our goal is to help resellers and small businesses grow their revenue and customer base. If you have comments or want to know how Aravenda can grow your small business, please schedule a time to talk about your needs here.
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