Social media can be a powerful marketing tool for small businesses, but many companies don’t know how to use it. Here’s what you need to know about content marketing strategy for small businesses. And how to get started with a successful strategy.
Put Social Media to Work for You
Social media is a great way to connect with customers and build relationships. It’s also a way to get your name out there and build your brand. Social media can be used to promote your business or even market products.
If you’re new to social media marketing, here are some tips for getting started:
- Find the right platform(s) for you—Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to manage several platforms simultaneously. Find the one or two platforms that make the most sense based on what kind of service/product you offer and how much time you have available each day or week to manage these accounts.
- Use images—People love pictures! They grab attention faster than text and help tell stories around whatever you’re promoting through social media (e-books, blog posts).
- Post regularly but not too often—The more people see something from you on their feeds, the more likely they will interact with it (commenting/liking). But posting too frequently can annoy subscribers who don’t want their newsfeed flooded with updates from every company they follow online, so stick within reasonable limits when posting updates about your brand or business via Facebook or Twitter, etcetera. Keep things interesting enough so people will want to keep coming back time after time again, no pun intended.
Make the most of your time on social media with these tips
- Setting up a social media manager.
- Using the right tools.
- Avoiding overdoing it and failing.
- Trying new things!
Set Goals
Before you can figure out how to reach your goals, you must know exactly what they are. The first step is to sit down and list the problems that need solving. What are you trying to accomplish? Where do you want your business (or fitness) to be in six months or a year from now? Once you’ve identified these issues, it’s time for some real talk:
Once you’ve defined the problem(s), it’s time to set some goals to help get us there! Setting ambitious but realistic goals is key here—don’t worry about other people’s goals; instead, focus on what would be most helpful for YOUR business/fitness routine/life balance/etc.
Here are some examples of tangible fitness goals that most people could achieve within 3-6 months:
- Losing 20 lbs./10% body fat (this goal should take longer than 3 months if possible)
Discover What Resonates With The Audiences
Social listening uses social media analytics to discover what people are talking about, liking, and sharing. It is a great way to find out what resonates with audiences and make adjustments if necessary.
For example, you might use it to see whether your content is being shared as often as you’d like or learn if people like your product descriptions better than your competitors. You can also see how often someone has mentioned you on Twitter or Facebook concerning other brands in the same industry (or how often they mention your competition). These insights allow you to determine what’s working for you—and what isn’t—and adjust accordingly so that you’re getting more positive results from your marketing efforts.
Share Relevant Content
The next time you share content, think about the stories you want to tell and how they align with your brand.
- Share content that tells stories and shows value because people don’t just want to hear about what you sell; they also want to see why they should buy it.
- Share relevant, interesting, and useful stuff to make them laugh or cry. If it’s fun, sing songs! If it’s useful, teach them a new skill or show them how something works in real life (also known as “how-to” guides).
Test and Optimize Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
Here are a few ways you can test and optimize your social media marketing strategy:
- A/B Testing
- Google Analytics (a free tool)
- BuzzSumo (a paid tool)
Tips for Small Business Social Media Marketing Campaign
Set Goals
Are you looking to increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your website? Do you want to generate leads or sell more products? Or do you want more engagement with your customers? Or do you want to use video marketing for small businesses?
Pick Your Top Social Networks Based on Your Goals
If you’re looking for increased sales, then Facebook is probably the best fit for you. If brand awareness is more important, focus on Twitter and LinkedIn, which have higher engagement rates than other networks like Instagram and Pinterest (although these platforms can be great for building an email list).
Determine What Times of Day Work Best for Posting on Each Network
Don’t post in real-time all day long because not everyone will be online at the same time as you are. Instead, post during peak usage hours so people can see what’s happening in real time. But also, don’t miss out on potential conversations when they’re offline later that day/evening/night.
Also, consider adjusting this schedule depending on factors like the holiday season (Christmas Eve will probably be busier than Christmas Day). Or major news events (if something big happens halfway across the country during 9 a.m.-to-5 pm hours here, then some people may want updates faster than others!).
As always, though, it’s important not just how often what type too so make sure there’s relevant content coming through at all times – both timely topics as well as evergreen content such as blogs posts 🙂
Consider The Customer Journey When Planning Your Content Strategy
The first step in building a content strategy is considering the entire customer journey. Start by asking yourself how you can use social media channels to help your customers at each stage of their journey with you:
- Discovering your business
- Becoming a customer or client
- Being an active user or advocate of your brand
- Leaving the business
Conclusion
Social media is one of the best ways for small businesses to connect with customers and potential clients. By following these tips, you’ll be able to create a social media marketing strategy that works best for your business and its goals.
