Learning about the power of social media for your business is critical in today’s marketplace where the majority of buying decisions are based on what’s seen online and peer reviews. Facebook is the largest social media platform and, according to Statista, there are approximately 221.6 million Facebook users currently in the United States.
The two biggest challenges small business owners face are time and resources. There never seems to be enough time or dollars to get everything accomplished. Traditional marketing can quickly drain your funds and can be a long, drawn-out process before anything gets added to your bottom line. What you save in dollars will cost you in time, but making the investment in social media will be worth the effort.
Here are some ways to leverage social media for your business:
Define Your Audience
To authentically connect with your customers, you need to understand them. What’s their age, gender, profession, interests? What problem or pain point can your product or service solve for them? Develop a customer profile for each type of client you serve.
Define Your Message
Once you’ve determined who your audience is and what problems you can help them with, develop a strategy to communicate your solution with each profile type, and determine which social media platform they prefer.
Define Your Platforms
To avoid becoming overwhelmed, it’s best to begin with one, maybe two social media platforms. Your blog or website should serve as a home base for your business, while your social media channels should work together to drive current and potential customers to your home base where they can purchase your product or service.
Define Your Method
Consistency is key when it comes to posting on social media. It takes time to build your strategy, your content and your following. Block out a chunk of time each day to work your accounts, whether it’s a window of 30 minutes or two hours. As you increase your social media presence, there are social media management tools that can help you manage and organize your social media activities.
Define Your Process
As your social media presence begins to take shape, listen to your audience and take note of what they are responding to. Study the analytical tools that each platform provides. This will serve to perfect your communication with your audience and drive engagement in real-time.
To learn more about the power of social media for your business or dig further into one or more of these concepts, please Contact Us.