The best way to grow a small business is to use social media. However, I find that lots of people use social media in the wrong way. For me, it’s all about playing to the strengths of each social networking medium.
This piece will help you use social media properly, and expand your company:
Facebook.
If anyone is new to social media marketing, people tell them to get on Facebook. Why? Because it’s the most used social networking site out there. This means there’s potential to get massive exposure for your startup. The premise of Facebook is simple, you connect with others and share content. Now, one mistake some new business owners make starts with how they set up their page. A business page is different to a personal page. With your personal page, you gain friends and followers. With a business one, you gain likes.
The key with a Facebook page is to get it seen by all those billions of users. And, Facebook has a great way of doing this with its paid ads. For me, if you want to pay for adverts on social media, this is the best place to do it. You get more exposure and the potential for a better return. Use Facebook ads, and they’ll be a sound investment.
Instagram.
Businesses will often use Instagram in the wrong way. The thing about this social media is that it’s all about likes. Likes get you followers; likes get you discovered. If you can get lots of likes on your posts, then you’ll end up seeing success. It’s also a clear indication of audience engagement too. You could have one thousand followers and only get ten likes on every photo. Does this mean your business Instagram account is successful? Sure, you have a decent amount of followers, but, none of them seem interested. They could be bots for all you know, and that’s not going to help you grow a business.
So, place a firm emphasis on Instagram likes when running your account. Try and get as many likes as possible on all of your posts. Naturally, one of the best ways to do this is by promoting your account and getting genuine followers. Or, utilizing other social media sites to post links to Instagram pictures. You’ll soon see that likes breed followers. If people like what you’re posting, they’ll follow you.
Snapchat.
Now, some of you might look at this heading and raise an eyebrow. What’s Snapchat? It’s a relatively new social media medium, and not everyone is aware of it. Some people may have heard the name, but still, don’t know what it’s purpose is. Snapchat is all about sharing quick videos and photos. The catch with this is that your posts don’t last forever. If you send a snap, it only lasts for up to ten seconds.
A business shouldn’t bother using the classic Snapchat feature of sending picture/videos. Instead, Snapchat for business is all about the stories. Snapchat Stories are a clever way of posting multiple things all at once. You can post pictures and videos that people can view for 24 hours. Your focus should be on the content you create. Loads of companies enjoy success by posting behind the scenes stuff. Snapchat is the best way to bring people inside your business and give them sneak peaks. It’s also ideal for a product launch campaign. Posting some sneaky snaps of a new product will get people excited. The fact that you can choose how long the images appear on the screen means you can tease customers before the launch date.
Twitter.
Personally, I find that businesses enjoy most of their marketing success on Twitter. I know that Facebook has more users, but I think companies get more creative on Twitter. It allows for better engagement with consumers. Much like Instagram, too many businesses get caught up in their follower count. You see companies buying followers to make themselves look more popular. Granted, if you see an account with lots of followers, you tend to think highly of the business.
However, the focus should be on likes and retweets. Again, these are the best ways to measure consumer engagement. Retweets are the best way to spread news and gain exposure. When one person retweets your tweet, it means all of their followers will see it. So, there’s potential for more and more retweets. Not too long ago, Twitter changed things to make likes more effective too. Now, when lots of people like the same tweet, it pops up on their follower’s newsfeeds. Your business needs to focus on producing great content that gets lots of engagement. The more retweets and likes you get, the more interest you will generate.
Follow my advice and focus on the things that matter on these social media sites. Then, you’ll see much more success and sustained growth.
