With 84% of customers being more likely to buy from a brand, they have been following on social media, using social media as part of your marketing strategy makes business sense. There are now 4.2 billion social media users, all using social media for almost two and a half hours a day, giving you an incredible opportunity. For small businesses, social media remains one of the most accessible and cheapest digital marketing platforms. You can use social media to grow brand awareness, make sales directly through the platforms and improve customer relationships. This blog post will give you tips and tricks to expand and grow your social media following for your small business.
Have a Plan
A good plan is the foundation of any successful business strategy. Even if it takes time and work, it is an invaluable investment in your company. If you don’t have a plan, there is no clear goal for what you’re trying to do. This means you have no way to know if your investment is paying off. Taking the time to establish an online media strategy ahead of time guarantees that all of your social media initiatives are aligned with your company’s objectives.
Choose the best platform for your small business
You’ll need to conduct your research to establish which platform your target audience/demographic spends most of their time on. This will assist you in acquiring a better complete understanding of how your target audience spends their time online. It does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation when it comes to platform selection. You can utilise several social media platforms to reach different audiences or achieve different business objectives. For example, Facebook might be a great place to build a relationship with your customers, whereas Instagram is more effective for building a brand image.
Understanding your audience
Micro-targeting your audience is one of the advantages of using social media for your small business. You can use the data you’ve collected previously, digging deeper into this with social media analytics. This will enable you to understand who interacts with your products. After you’ve determined your target audience, you may construct buyer personas to assist you to figure out how to best communicate with them.
Building Relationships
Communicating directly to consumers and followers is a unique benefit of social media marketing for small businesses. Rather than asking for a sale straight away, relationships can be built or developed over time.
Nurturing relationships can help you develop a devoted following, which can lead to repeat sales over time. While gaining new customers is important, don’t underestimate the importance of customer retention.
Follow Trends
It’s a good idea to keep an eye on social media trends so you know what people are looking for when they go into their accounts—this aids in creating relevant material that has a long-term impact.
Partnerships
Partnerships with well-known brands are a great way to grow your following. This is because they push both brands to be inventive. Not only this, but by collaborating with well-known companies, you can get instant credibility with your partner’s audience and earn the trust of them and your own following. Small businesses can also benefit from this tactic. This is because both brands can get more social media followers by simultaneously advertising their goods and brands.
Concluding Thoughts
It is clear that there are several great strategies for growing your social media following as a small business including – having a plan, and partnerships, choosing the right platform for your business, understanding your audience and following trends. If you need support with your social media strategy, please get in touch with us.