I learned early in my adventure into small business that every entrepreneur should have a social media presence. The benefits far outweigh the amount of time it takes to figure out how it works. To understand why every entrepreneur should have a social media presence, I have written some tips to help you out.
I know how it feels when just starting out. It is overwhelming to say the least. The choices seem endless. Where do you start? There’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Marco Polo and Youtube. I am sure there is more I’m not even thinking of! I have asked myself if I really want a social media presence many times this past year!
It is easy to see why as a business owner you need to maintain a social media presence. Brands with active social media profiles have more loyal customers. People today are looking for a personal connection. When you are engaging and interacting on social media you develop the reputation as a thought leader. It sets you up as an expert in your field. To do this you should be communicating with your clients and customers by writing and sharing content they will find useful and interesting.
By having a social media presence it gives you a quick way to respond to your customers and leads to greater customer satisfaction. Even if you are responding to a complaint, just taking the time to respond in a personal way sets you apart form the competition and gives you credibility.
Save time
- Having a social media strategy can help you save time and be consistent. Starting out it will take time to get used to it and get things set up. I recommend planning out your posts and content at least a month in advance. Take some time each week to create posts based on what your content focus is. I use a planner and write content based on other projects I am working on, what is popular in the public realm and most importantly what my clients are interested in. Once you have an idea of where and what you are posting I suggest automating as much of it as you can.
Boost your websites SEO
- The use of social media will boost your websites SEO. Social media is here to stay and Google and the other bug search engines have realized how popular it is. Just look around you. Everyone has a cellphone and most of them are involved in some sort of social media. The algorithm gods will reward you when you are consistently posting on your networks. By driving traffic to your optimized web pages you are ensuring greater visibility. It will also give you higher rank on search pages.
Start with one platform
- When you are first starting out I recommend really getting proficient on one platform at a time. It is much better to do one well before branching out to do more. Once you get your first one going well and have established a following then move on to the next one. The rewards will be much greater doing things slowly and doing them well. Don’t get into the shiny new penny trap or fall into FOMO, (Fear Of Missing Out). Building community and a loyal following will take time. It does not happen overnight. Once you have been doing this for a while evaluate where you are getting the most bang for your buck. You don’t need to be everywhere, choose a few platforms and do them really well.
Engage your followers
- Remember that social media is a tool, and with any tool in order for it to work it must be used. Make sure you are responding to your readers. Answer each comment or ask them questions. Give them a call to action and tell them exactly what you would like them to do. When you are specific about what you want people are more likely to comply and actually do it. Building community is about the back and forth so make sure you are engaging with others too. Get to know your followers and make it personal about them. Social media is a great place to find out what people like, the kinds of things that bring them joy.
Mix up your content
- Don’t always post about the same things. Mix it up. Share things that are happening in your business, give them something personal about you. Let them see the authentic side of you. Readers like to have the inside scoop. Give them information tha
t makes them feel like they are in the know and have a personal relationship with you and your business. This doesn’t mean you have to bare it all. It just means you want to give them a little more about you and not just your business.
Social media is a huge asset for small businesses. It gives you a venue for marketing that was not available just a few years ago. You have the opportunity to reach a greater number of people than through traditional forms of advertising at a fraction of the cost. Give it a try and check back often for more tips!
To learn more join me on my social media channels.
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