How to Get Started with Social Media Marketing for Your Small Business?
Social media, Google AdWords, public relations, search engine optimization (SEO), community relations, paid media, digital marketing, blogs, advertising …. the list of terms for how to market your business goes on. All of this is marketing, yes, but understanding small business marketing and marketing strategies for your business doesn’t have to be as exhausting as reading this list.
So, how do you actually get started with social media marketing for your small business
With more than 60+ social media sites (this number will be outdated as I write it because the list continues to grow), it’s hard to know just where to start with social media. So, let’s start at the beginning:
What is your goal for social media?:
Understanding where you want to go will help you understand which social media sites you should be on. Your goals will define your audience, platform, and overall social media strategy.
How Many Platforms Do I Need to Be On:
To start, I suggest doing no more than 3 social media sites. Each site is unique in its content, each site takes time to manage and grow, each site can become overwhelming very quickly. By focusing on a few social media sites and building your audience there, you will be able to do a few things very well than a lot of things very poorly.
What Platforms do I need to be on for my business?:
This depends… never the answer someone wants to hear, but bear with me. This one depends on the size of your business, what industry you’re in and who your audience is.
What Type of Content Do I Need to Post:
We cover this one in our article on authenticity in content marketing, but the key here is to be authentic and to be true to yourself. If you’re a small sandwich shop, keep it local and keep your beautiful sandwiches coming. Show us the process of how you perfectly toast every sandwich, show us the journey of how you select your weekly special and tell us why you got started in the sandwich biz, and own it!
Best Time of Day to Post:
Again, this one depends but it’s a little easier to break down. Check out the infographic below which helps visualize the best times to post on every channel. With that in mind, your strategy will depend on the channel and then be refined based on how your audience responds. If you get the most engagement MWF at 5:30 a.m., post then, it can be that simple.
Once you decide what goals you’re aiming for, what platforms are right for your business and the kind of content you would like to produce, it’s time to get started. We can help build your strategy - get in touch to learn more!