Introduction
One thing that makes humans better than other species on earth is our gift of adapting to different circumstances. This was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many organizations had to introduce a Work From Home (WFH) approach. TikTok became a huge sensation during the pandemic and this also saw many businesses take social media marketing seriously.
Today, many brands you would never expect to be on social media regularly post creative content to engage their customers. As a small business owner, if you are looking for the best place to promote your products or services, social media is your best option.
With social media, you can promote your business to prospects, create a community among your loyal customers and globalize your brand. Many small businesses have become successful because of their original and engaging social presence on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
This article will provide some effective ideas for promoting your small business on social media.
Key takeaway
- Social media has become very important to the growth of both small and large-scale businesses.
- Since 2020, TikTok has become a great platform for marketing your business. It is most effective in reaching out to the younger generation.
- As a small business owner, seeking out partnerships with influencers can help your business grow.
- Knowing when, what, and how to post on social media platforms will go a long way in increasing your engagements, and brand awareness, and in turn, bringing in conversions.
10+ Effective Social Media Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business
Here are some helpful tips that can help you promote on social media:
- Take TikTok seriously
- Get on YouTube
- Seek influencers to promote your business
- Post regularly
- Identify your target audience
- Post on social media at optimal times
- Combine paid ads with organic social media marketing
- Choose the right social media platform
- Be human
- Tell a story with your posts
- Let your posts focus on quality, not quantity
- Turn blog posts into social content
- Be trendy
- Get interactive content
Take TikTok seriously
Recent statistics showed TikTok has 1 billion monthly users from around the world. TikTok is mostly used by a much younger audience, with about 7 in every 10 19-year-olds having a social presence on the platform and half of 20 to 40-year-olds using it. So, if your business target audience is Gen Z, TikTok is one of the best social media platforms to use to market to Gen Z .
TikTok is an extremely great tool for building your brand awareness. You can build your online presence by using short-form videos that reach your audience and show off your products and services. TikTok’s Algorithm provides businesses with the opportunity to reach more audiences than they can get on other platforms. There is a separate feed – the For You Page that allows users to discover new and trending content, so if you want your business to go viral, TikTok is the best platform for you.
If you want to drive sales to your website, TikTok is a good platform to take seriously. It is estimated that TikTok will gain about 10 million social buyers this year. As a small business, having a TikTok marketing strategy is very important. Waste no time and hop on the TikTok rave!
Get on YouTube
A study in 2019 showed that YouTube users spent 1 billion hours of watch time every day. Still, only 9% of small businesses use the platform to market their brand. YouTube is the second most popular search engine. The competition is not so saturated so you could leverage on that and start marketing there.
Having a YouTube channel will help you to:
- Engage with customers and build loyalty
- Build credibility
- Improve your social presence
- Drive traffic to your site
Creating high-quality content is an effective way to attract prospects to your business and engage with new ones. Having a YouTube marketing strategy will help you display your business identity and engage with your target market in the best way possible.
Seek Influencers to Promote your Business
Social media influencers have become very common around us today. You will always find an influencer in your niche industry. Sometimes, you don’t have to pay them. You could offer free products and services and ask them to review your business in return. It is important that you discuss with the influencers and make sure your social marketing goals align with theirs before you send them the free product or service.
Post Regularly
The best way to grow your following on social media is to post consistently. Several research has shown that people respond differently to brands based on their posting frequency. Also, there are several times in a week that you are more likely to get more engagement rates than others.
On social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, posting different content in a day boosts engagement and following. Also, as a social media specialist advised, it is important to focus on creating original social posts regularly rather than posting poor-quality social posts.
Since it might not be possible to post every day, it is wise to use social media scheduling tools like Buffer and Hootsuite. These applications also allow you to integrate them into analytical software so you can track the engagement of your social platforms.
Identify Your Target Audience
Many marketers advise that the first step to take in any successful marketing campaign is to know your target audience first. The same is true for social media. Although you might already know who your target audience is, there are still enough social data that can help you understand them better. You can use this social data to figure out your social audience and create the right social campaign to reach them.
Post on Social Media at Optimal Times
A frequently asked question many ask is ‘When is the best time to post on social media’. It is helpful to know the correct time to post because not everyone would be online at a particular time. There are several times in a week when your content can get more engagements than others; they are known as optimal times. Make research on the best times to post on different social platforms and schedule your posts during those times.
Combine Paid Ads with Organic Social Marketing
Most of the tips in this social media guide are for organic marketing efforts, however, paid ads are also very effective. If you are finding it hard to get enough impressions and engagements, you can give your posts a boost for a few dollars. If you would like to know more about paid ads, check out this guide on how to get started.
Choose the Right Platform for Your Business
Your success in social media doesn’t only start from knowing your target audience but also from choosing the right platform for your small business. In times past, many social media experts felt that it was wise to open a social account on every platform, however, that advice has changed recently. It is better to choose the right platforms that your target audience than to spread your social media marketing budget on a lot of platforms.
For instance, if you have a B2B business and your clients are mostly corporate professionals, you can focus your attention on LinkedIn. But if you have a B2C business like a cafeteria or pizzeria, LinkedIn is not the right platform for your business.
When determining the right platforms, it is wise to consider the best way to reach your prospects. Start with one or two platforms your prospects use the most, then as your business grows, scale your marketing efforts to other platforms they also use well.
Be Human
The best social media practice is to connect with your prospects on a personal level. Be human. Don’t behave like a robot. Fortunately for small business owners, they have the appeal of local customers especially when they add a face to their businesses.
So, rather than creating a polished content calendar that imitates that of prominent brands, allow your small business to have a company culture that shines through on your social posts. For example, Hootsuite is one of the best companies when it comes to showcasing their humanity on social media. This scheduling automation company is known for posting its employees on social media with the hashtag (#hootsuitelife) on its content posts. Learn from this and let your audience know that they are talking to you by sharing posts about your staff and what they do.
A survey shows that 90% of customers appreciate authenticity and will willingly spend their money on businesses that are authentic. Small businesses can show their audience that they know them and create a personal relationship with them on social media if they remain human as their business grows. Being transparent, authentic and flexible can help to build loyalty and trust in customers.
Tell a Story with Your Posts
Another social media marketing practice that you need to consider for your small business is your company story. Telling a story to your target audience can create a deeper connection and emotional response than normal sales copy. This is especially important if your small business is targeting Gen-Z customers as they come from a digital age where traditional marketing is not effective with them.
Be intentional with your posts. Use nostalgia to resonate with your target customers. Consider what your business values and goals are and use them as a guide to creating relevant content. Let your target customers know how your business started.
Being a storyteller is important for two reasons. They are:
- It provides an emotional connection between your business and your audience. This will in turn allow them to build trust in your brand.
- Social media algorithms are backed by engagements. When people read your post for a long time, there will be an expansion of your reach.
An example of a business that does well with storytelling is IKEA Canada. This furnishing firm leverages giving expert advice to consumers to solve problems. They also display effective graphs and offer practical guidance that boosts engagement on their social platforms.
Let Your Post Focus on Quality and Not on Quantity
Be consistent with what you post and keep your focus on quality and not on quantity. Many small businesses might get tired when preparing their content calendar because they know how important a lot of posts are to get more engagements.
When crafting your small business social media strategy, ensure that quality is at the forefront of your plan. You will get more results if you post once every day that posting frequently in a day and then having nothing to post a week after.
Make sure you post on each social platform every day. You might only need to adjust the image size based on the social platform settings and make sure your word count on the post is acceptable. In the first weeks of your social media strategy, keep your focus on posting consistently, and do not concern yourself with the engagement levels. As time goes by, you will start getting enough engagement on your posts.
Turn blog posts into social content
One thing that makes a small business owner prudent is the way one uses resources. The same can be said for content creation. If you regularly post on your blog, turn some of your blogs into social posts and videos.
A good reason you should do this is that most people are using social media rather than reading blogs. According to this study by IdeaRocket, the average internet user will likely choose a video over a text even if they have similar content. So create content from your blog posts as your audience may find them more accessible.
Another reason why you should turn your blog posts into social content like videos is because videos have more reach. You can post and share your videos on any social platform and it will reach a large number of people. The same cannot always be said of blog posts.
This doesn’t mean that writing blogs are obsolete. But, make sure you not only write blogs but convert some to interactive content like videos.
Be trendy
Before, using hashtags was the only way brands could join online conversations and discussions on social media. Now, the hashtag is more of a supplementary tool and doesn’t hold much importance as before. Trends are now the new way to get brand recognition and engagement. Jumping on trending hashtags, trending topics or trending video types can help your small business.
If you use TikTok, the popular For You Page allows you to see what is trending. On Twitter, there is a trend icon that shows the top 20 trending topics in different parts of the world. You can jump on each of these topics that make sense and relate to your brand and promote your business with them. Remember, do not post because you want to post. Post something meaningful to the trend you pick.
Get interactive content
In social media marketing, one of the important objectives you must have is engagement. To get people to engage with your post, create interactive content like quizzes to get people to show how much they know or to tell people something about themselves. You can choose to add giveaways or freebies for any who answer correctly to get more people to engage with the content.
Conclusion
Social media offers an opportunity for you to know your target audience, interact with them and get them to trust your brand. You get to market your business to more people and get more customers that love your brand and will be happy to refer your services to others. Remember to always try out social media marketing tools that improve your strategy efforts. By consistently posting quality content, using the right social media platform, and using the right marketing tool where necessary, you can make more sales in your business.
Frequently Asked Questions for Social Media Marketing
How Can I Succeed in Social Media Marketing as a Small Business Owner?
There are so many ways to do so. However, here are some important ways:
- Choose the right platform and set up an account. With so many social platforms, choose the one that is most relevant to your target customers.
- Create engaging and high-quality content. Make sure your content is interesting and relevant to your prospects.
- Post regularly. Make sure you post consistently. You can create a posting schedule and use scheduling tools like Hootsuite for this.
- Track your performance. Always check your analytics every week and see areas where adjustment is necessary.