As more and more consumers ‘live’ online, social media offers a plethora of valuable branding avenues to businesses all over the world. In fact, social media has levelled the business playing field in unprecedented ways. Even smaller firms can now take advantage of the many lucrative growth opportunities available through social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Through social media, smaller firms can now:

• Engage with customers to effectively address their needs and solve their problems
• Cross-sell or up-sell their products
• Identify and locate new target audiences and broaden their customer base
• Deliver a memorable user experience to build long-term brand equity and ensure better conversions
• Develop a great brand reputation and garner customer loyalty
• Get better and more measurable returns on their marketing spends

So if you are a small business owner, by incorporating social media marketing into your business strategy, you can connect with your desired audience, optimise your service levels, become more efficient, productive and collaborative across the value chain, cut costs and ultimately increase your brand’s value and profitability.

Ready to implement a Social Media Strategy for your small business? Here are 5 tips that can help!

1: Start with WHY

Simon Sinek’s famous exhortation to start every action with WHY applies here too!

Understand your objectives first. What is the purpose of your social media marketing plan: connect with customers, build a community or increase your profits? Identify your goal and then evaluate how social media may help you achieve them. Don’t follow the herd. Decide what’s best for you and move forward accordingly. Creating a social media posting calendar can be a valuable strategy as well.

2: Remember to PROVIDE value

Remember the quote “Be a resource, not a sales pitch”? It really applies to social media marketing as well!

The modern buyer is often well-informed and knowledgeable about what he needs and how much he’s willing to pay for it. So if you try to make assumptions about them or worse, utilise old-fashioned sales pitches to hard-sell to them, they will leave. Instead, use social media to understand their needs and build a relationship with them that goes beyond the transactional. Guide, don’t dictate.

3: Start a conversation and talk TO them, not AT them

Social media is a great way for brands to engage with customers and foster more meaningful relationships with them. Show your appreciation for their inputs. Social media is not a monologue! If you spend some time and effort in building a community around your brand, you can increase its value and move it to ‘top of the mind’ for current as well as potential customers.

4: Build authority and stand out

Today’s Internet is a noisy place, full of ‘me-me-me’ brands and ‘me-too’ copycats. Talk to your audience and show them that you know what you’re talking about. Respond to comments, feedback and even criticism. Be regular – don’t disappear off their social media radar. Your engagement and responsiveness will go a long way towards establishing your credibility and expertise in your area.

Ultimately, authority is a currency – the more you have, the more you can cash in on opportunities for growth and success.

This brings us to the last point…

5: LESS is MORE

You don’t have to be everywhere on social media! Find out where your target audience lives (or spends most time on). Pick one or two social platforms, focus your energies on that one and do everything you can to dominate!

Social media can feel overwhelming, especially small business owners and entrepreneurs. However, it’s not rocket science. Know yourself, know your audience and be strategic in your approach. You will definitely see social media success!

What did you think about these 5 strategies? Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments box below!

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