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Social media - you either love it or hate it.
As a small business owner, I used to have a bit of a love-hate relationship with social media. In the beginning, I didn't really get it and wondered why I should spend time posting and engaging on platforms like Linked in, Facebook and Instagram. But then I started to see the potential.
Social media allows me to connect directly with my audience, build brand awareness and drive more traffic and sales. However, it does take time to get right and there is a lot to figure out.
I’ve had to learn through trial and error, but to help you navigate the virtual spaghetti junction of online social platforms, I have answered the top six questions I get asked most often about social media for small businesses.
1. Why Is Social Media Important for My Small Business?
As a small business owner, social media is one of the most important tools in your arsenal. Here are a few reasons why:
Reach New Customers
Social media allows you to connect with potential customers and spread the word about your business. Posting on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Linked In is a great way to increase your visibility, increase your reach and find new leads. According to a recent survey by Oberlo, a whopping 78% of small businesses said that they attract new customers through social media.
Build Your Brand
Social media gives you an opportunity to share your brand story and connect with your audience. Post behind-the-scenes photos, share your values, and engage with followers. Responding to comments and messages also helps to build a loyal following.
Drive Traffic to Your Website
When you post on social media, always include a call-to-action (CTA). This could be as easy as including a link back to your website, making it super easy for people to learn more about you, your products and services. Studies suggest that Using the word "now" in a CTA can increase conversions by up to 90%. Social media posts are also a great way to promote sales, new products, blog posts, and more.
Stay on the Radar
Posting regularly on social media helps to keep your business in front of your audience. Share a mix of content like blog posts, photos, videos, promotions, and behind the scenes insights to give followers a reason to engage with your brand. Regular posts on social media keep your audience engaged and connected to your brand. This helps to maintain a strong presence in their minds.
Get Feedback
Social media is a useful way to get honest feedback from your customers. Pay attention to comments, reviews, and messages to see what people love about your business and where there's room for improvement. Make it a two-way conversation and respond to both positive and negative feedback. Your customers will appreciate your transparency and willingness to listen.
2. How Do I Get Started With Social Media Marketing?
So you've decided to dive into the world of social media marketing for your small business. You know that social media is one of the most effective ways to reach new customers and boost brand awareness, but where do you start?
Choose your platforms
When it comes to social media marketing, it's crucial to focus on the networks where your target audience spends the majority of their time. This ensures that you are reaching the right people with your content and maximising your chances of connecting with potential customers. For me, that's LinkedIn but you should do some research to determine what's right for your business.
Set up your profiles
Make sure your profiles are complete, with an eye-catching cover photo, profile pic, and bio. Include important info like your business name, location and contact details. There are lots of great resources out there to help you set up your profiles correctly like this brilliant post about creating the perfect LinkedIn profile by Hubspot.
Post regularly
Consistency is key. Aim for 2-3 posts per week on each network. Social media algorithms often favour consistent content creators. Regularly posting quality content signals to algorithms that your account is active and relevant, potentially leading to increased visibility and your posts being seen by a wider audience.
Analyse and optimise
One effective way to gauge the success of your social media content is by closely examining the number of likes, comments, and shares each post receives. These engagement metrics provide valuable insights into what types of content your audience enjoys. By identifying the types of posts that perform well, you can replicate their success and create more content that your audience will love.
Hashtags
In addition to analysing post performance, using the right hashtags is another way to improve your social media reach. Hashtags act as powerful links that categorise your posts and make them discoverable by a wider audience. To ensure you're using the most effective hashtags, research and select ones that are relevant to your business. According to a study by Sprout Social, tweets with hashtags received 2x more engagement than those without.
3. What Social Media Platforms Should I Be on as a Small Business?
As a small business owner, you have to be strategic about which social media platforms you invest your time in. With so many options out there, it can feel overwhelming to decide where to start. Based on my experience, I would recommend focusing on the following core platforms:
As a professional network, LinkedIn is ideal for B2B companies and service-based businesses. Posting about recent news, industry insights, and thought leadership content will establish you as an industry expert. Engage with your target customers by joining relevant LinkedIn groups, comment on discussions, and connect with key influencers. According to a recent report by HubSpot, 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions.
Facebook is still the largest social network and a must for any small business. Create a business page to build your online presence, engage your customers, and drive traffic to your website. Post updates, photos, events, and more to spread brand awareness and stay top of mind. Many small businesses also use Facebook ads to boost posts and reach new potential customers.
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing platforms, especially popular with younger generations and visual brands. Build an Instagram profile to showcase eye-catching photos and short videos of your products, team, office culture, and customer experiences. Engaging visual content is key to gaining new followers and increasing engagement on Instagram. Consider using relevant hashtags to make your posts more discoverable.
As a small business I would focus on building a presence on Linked In, Facebook and Instagram. Start with one platform at a time, spend the time to complete your profile fully, and post high-quality content regularly to organically grow your followers. With consistency and patience, social media can become an invaluable marketing channel for any small business.
4. What Type of Content Should I Share on Social Media?
Determining what type of content to share on social media can be tricky. Here are some tips to get you started:
Share Updates
Let your followers know what's new with you and your business. Did you release a new product or service? Did you just open another location? Have you been to a networking event or a new co-working space? Share updates to keep people engaged and aware of what's going on. Keep it authentic and show your face. Remember that people buy from people and authenticity is key.
Blog Posts
Share links to your latest blog posts on social media. Blogs are a great way to establish your business as an authority in your industry. Linking to them on social media increases traffic and helps to boost your search engine rankings. Sharing your blog posts on social media platforms exposes your content to a wider and more diverse audience. It allows you to reach people who may not have discovered your blog through other channels, potentially increasing your readership and engagement.
Behind-the-Scenes
Give followers a peek behind the curtain of your business. Share some photos or quick videos of your office, team, or workspace. People are curious about the day-to-day happenings of the businesses they support.
This approach humanises your brand, making it more relatable and personable. When followers see the faces behind the business and get a sense of the work environment, it helps establish a connection and builds trust. It creates a sense of transparency and authenticity, which are highly valued by consumers today.
Questions
Asking questions is an effective way to engage your audience and encourage engagement and discussions on social media platforms. By posing questions related to your industry, products, services, or community, you can spark conversation and invite your followers to share their thoughts and experiences.
When you ask a question, you give your audience an opportunity to actively engage with your content. People enjoy sharing their opinions and insights, and by encouraging them to do so, you create a sense of involvement and community.
Using a mix of these types of content on your social media channels will keep your followers engaged and help establish your business as an active and authoritative voice in your industry. The key is to share a variety of posts and be consistent. Keep your followers up-to-date with what's new and interact with them regularly.
5. How Much Time Does Social Media Marketing Take?
One of the questions I get asked the most is how much time it takes to do social media marketing. The truth is, it can take as little or as much time as you want to put into it. I started with just 10 minutes a day and have worked my way up from there as my business has grown.
While there isn't a specific statistic or research on the minimum time required to see results on social media, it's essential to prioritise quality over quantity. Consistency, strategic content planning, and engaging with your audience are the real factors for achieving results, regardless of the time spent.
Time management is key
The key is time management and focusing on what matters for your business. Start by determining what social networks you want to be on based on where your target customers spend their time. For me, that's LinkedIn. Then, come up with a content plan and schedule to keep you consistent. I try to post 3-4 times per week.
Spend time engaging with your followers by liking and commenting on their posts, and replying to their comments on your posts. This helps to build real relationships and connections. I also try to stay up to date with the latest social media updates and features so I can take advantage of them.
All told, I now spend about 30 minutes a day on social media for my business. That includes creating content, posting and engagement. While it can seem time-consuming, the rewards of growing brand awareness and connecting with new contacts make it worthwhile.
The time you need to spend depends on your business and goals. If you're just getting started, focus on one profile at a time. Learn the platform, create a content schedule you can sustain, and see how your audience responds. You can then build from there to expand your reach.
6. How Do I Measure the Success of My Social Media Marketing?
Measuring the success of your social media marketing efforts is key. How else will you know what's working and not working? Here are a few of the metrics I track regularly:
Engagement
The number of likes, comments, shares, and retweets can be valuable indicators of engagement on social media posts. When these engagement metrics are high, it suggests that your audience finds your content interesting and valuable. On the other hand, if engagement is low, it may be a sign that it's time to reevaluate and switch up your content strategy.
I tried to do some research to see if I could find some standard rates of engagement, and found nothing concrete, but it's worth noting that engagement rates can differ across industries and platforms.
Ultimately, it's essential to track your own engagement metrics consistently and monitor how they align with your specific goals. This allows you to assess the effectiveness of your content strategy and make informed decisions to optimise your social media presence.
Traffic
You can use Google Analytics to track traffic from social networks to see if your social media posts are driving people to your website or blog.
By using analytics, you can track the number of visitors referred from different social media platforms and gain insights into their behaviour on your website.
Research suggests that the average referral traffic from Facebook to websites falls within the range of 6.5% to 12.9%, whereas an analysis of more than 200 Instagram pages found that the platform drives an average of 3.8% of all social media referral traffic.
To improve new content on social media, it's good practise to focus on strategies that drive traffic to your website. This can include creating compelling and shareable content, using strong call-to-actions, and optimising your social media posts for maximum engagement.
Mentions
Keeping track of mentions of your business, brand, or product on social media is great for brand awareness and staying connected with your audience. When people mention your business, it can indicate that you are generating buzz and gaining visibility within your target market. Positive mentions, in particular, serve as valuable social proof and contribute to building a strong brand image.
By leveraging social listening tools or conducting manual searches on social media platforms, you can proactively track mentions and engage with your audience in a timely manner. Being responsive and attentive to mentions not only strengthens your brand's reputation but also provides opportunities for meaningful interactions and potential customer conversions.
Conversions
Ultimately, you want to know if your social media marketing is generating sales. Track how many people click social media links that lead to product pages on your website, or use promo codes that are promoted only on social media.
It is worth noting that the impact of social media is not just limited to making immediate sales. Social media marketing can influence your customers' decision-making process, and contribute to conversions, at any stage of the customer journey.
Measuring and monitoring these key metrics regularly is the best way to ensure your social media marketing strategy is delivering real value. Make adjustments as needed to keep improving your results over time.
Keep It Simple
The best strategy is one you can stick to
As you can see, there are a handful of common questions small businesses have when getting started with social media.
Try not to get overwhelmed, start with one network at a time, focus on quality over quantity, engage with your audience, and be authentic. Social media may seem complicated but by keeping it simple, being consistent and having fun with it, you'll get the hang of it in no time.
Social Media is just one element of a Digital Marketing strategy. To find out more, read my recent blog post ‘Digital Marketing for Beginners: 5 Ways to Grow Your Business Online’.
If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment below. I'm always happy to help businesses boost their social media presence. Alternatively, you can book a free call with me and we can have a chat.
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