Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
According to the latest statistics 4.89 billion people are active users of social media so why aren’t you online yet?
Most small businesses have a tight budget and sometimes marketing strategy is not part of it which indeed is a common mistake that business owners make. Therefore as a small business, you don’t have the luxury of planning large marketing campaigns or events, so you must simply deal with less expensive models.
Social media is one of them, so you have to make the most of it. Dive into it and embrace your creativity, see what your competitors are doing , how they are using social media platforms to keep their brand shining.
Remember that developing a social media strategy involves creating a concept, measuring market elements, and putting it into action. It might sometimes let you down, but if you find what works for your business, you just have to keep going.
Why should you use social media for your small business?
Using social media for your small business will benefit you in many ways possible:
Reach potential customers
Social media success is achieved by posting the right content, following trends, and being active on the platforms where your potential consumers are. If your consumers are on Instagram, you should establish your presence there; if they are drawn by Tik Tok trends, you should present your products by following those trends as well.
Essentially, a high consumer reach is attained through understanding of their habits, and actions taken to fit their preferences.
Increase your brand awareness
Work on good content creation, so people can like it and share it with their close friends. When you create interesting content and people express their interest in it they tend to share it with their closest friends by increasing your brand awareness. The more familiar consumers grow with your brand, the more likely they are to purchase from you.
Understand your customers
With the use of social media you can learn more about your customers preferences, interests, needs and desires. You may see how consumers engage with other brands and what they want to see on social media, and then customize your posts to capture their attention.
Stalk your competitor
Yes, you read it right, stalk your competitors and their attitudes in the market. Carefully examine what strategy is your competitor following, and how is the audience reacting to it. Analyze a failed strategy that may have been a good concept but was poorly executed. Personalize their strategies to fit your objectives, don’t be a snob who doesn’t believe their competitor can succeed, instead learn from their blunders to propel your business further.
Build long lasting relationships with your customers
Small businesses are known for the kind of relationships that they build with their customers, they tend to care more about details and making the customer journey as pleasant as possible. Hence try to be there for your customer, respond to their needs, communicate delicately, follow up on their purchase, and offer small gifts to show appreciation for their purchase.
Customers tend to be more attentive when it comes to small businesses so the possibility of them sharing their experience with their closest ones is high. So make sure to create the feeling of being special when interacting with them.
Now that you’ve learned about the benefits of using social media, select the platform that best suits your customer demographic. If your target audience is the Gen Z generation, you should undoubtedly have a presence on Tik Tok. Consider being amusing and promoting your product through viral trends.
If your target demographic is between the ages of 18 and 44, Facebook is a good fit. Since it is the most used platform in the world, Facebook has become known for the effectiveness of its advertising, as well as its e-commerce feature, which includes an extensive consumer journey.
Moreover if it falls between the age of 18-34 or baby boomer generation your business may fit better on Instagram. Instagram is like a small office of your business. The benefit of instagram is that you can be more specific to your business type for example being a restaurant, hotel, magazine etc.
In the end all we have to say is go and create your social media account, build your online market presence, and take your business to the next level.