When it comes to small businesses, the most common problem we notice is marketing. Small business owners often have very limited resources and don’t know where to begin with advertising and drawing customers. Marketing is critical to the success of your business but it doesn’t always have to cost a lot. In fact, thanks to technology today, many marketing avenues are free.
The first place to start is by becoming familiar with social media. Did you know that if Facebook were a country it would be #1 in population? That means there are more people using Facebook than live in China! If you are still not convinced, check out this video.
Let’s talk about some guidelines.
1. There are literally hundreds of platforms you can use but to start just pick one or two. A few of the most common options are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Vine, Vimeo, LinkedIn, and blogging.
2. This is not a one size fits all approach. Understand the culture within each social media site. While you can and should be on multiple sites, you should not copy and paste your content to all of them. The wording that works on Facebook is too informal for your LinkedIn page or may be too wordy for Twitter’s 140 character maximum.
3. Keep it short. The average attention span of your follower is less than that of a goldfish so don’t be too wordy.
4. Real friends don’t spam. Nobody likes being harassed. Be consistent and active but don’t overload your followers.
5. Do your research. There are few things worse than finding out you have been deceived. Be sure the information you share with your followers is accurate.
6. Socialize. This is the foundation of social media. Engage your followers by asking questions and interacting with them as much as possible. Refer to #4.
7. Tell your story. People are going to be curious about who you are and what you do so tell them!
8. Unless you are a church or a politician stay away from these subjects on your businesses page. This goes back to keeping things relevant for your followers and your business page is not the place to talk about these things.
Additional resources:
How to Use ‘Alternative’ Social Networks in Your Marketing Strategy
The Best Days and Times to Post Content