The Blog
Tips and Tricks for Improving Your Small Business Marketing
Using Social Media to Boost Your Small Business
These days it’s hard to find a person who isn’t on social media. Statistically speaking, almost everyone in the US has a Facebook account. Many also have accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Linkedin… the list goes on and on.
Social media has become an intrinsic part of our lives. This is no surprise for marketers, but the importance and pervasiveness of social media means you can’t “get around to it.” Instead, social media represents a huge opportunity for small, local businesses – if it’s done right. From interacting with customers to increasing awareness, just about every business can grow using social media.
Unfortunately, the competition on social media is intense. People online have very short attention spans and the major platforms only perpetuate this idea. Without stellar content, it’s unlikely you will engage a potential client’s interest. You need to stand out to gain the attention of your target audience. Here are some tips that can help:
Humanize the Brand
People find it hard to connect with faceless brands. They don’t trust businesses easily and won’t interact with you if you don’t awaken their interest. Adding a human element to your brand will make your audience more comfortable. Brands often use humor or inspirational quotes for this purpose. Bonus points if you can make the element tie into your brand.
A few years ago, the US food chain giants Cap’n Crunch and KFC’s Colonel started arguing childishly with one another on Twitter. Their argument was playful, engaging, and attracted a lot of followers. It also gave them a very distinctive brand presence. If you regularly post humorous content, it’s very likely that you’ll gain more recognition and followers.
.@kfc_colonel @Clayburn You’ll have to excuse me, I’m dealing with the @USNavy right now. No time for small potatoes. Or boneless chickens.
— Cap’n Crunch (@RealCapnCrunch) June 20, 2013
Another one I really like: the Coca-Cola polar bear. Brands are quickly moving to create more of these “photo ops” with the goal of getting you to share your images.
Social Media Contests & Giveaways
Contests are a great way to engage your customers and increase visibility. Interesting and challenging contests will immediately catch the attention of the audience. Such posts generally become viral and are shared all over social media. Some companies reward winners with special discounts or gifts, others don’t. Nevertheless, the audience quickly becomes engaged in such contests and that increases brand recognition.
It’s a good idea to include challenging but doable contests. The more mysterious the challenge, the more your audience would want to solve it. Several companies use this strategy to gain recognition for their brand.
Click to enter our giveaway, a prize package designed to keep the good ideas flowing!
The best part is, you don’t have to give away thousands of dollars in prizes. Even a simple t-shirt giveaway can be a boost to traffic and build brand awareness. Try to find a prize that appeals to your demographic and promote, promote, promote. Shameless plug: check out our giveaway on Facebook for your chance to win sweet Bose headphones! (Ends 5/18/16)
Use Pictures and Photographs
A visual medium is much more effective than text. In fact, content with relevant photographs receive 94% more views than content without. Photographs can say a lot and tend to grasp attention quickly. They are also very versatile and can convey humor, promote your brand, or deliver a social message. And with more than 65% of senior marketing executives saying visual assets are core to their brand’s story, there’s really no reason to not include a picture.
A little experience with photo editing or graphic design would allow you to post more detailed and complex pictures. But if this is out of your skill set, consider snapping some pictures with your phone. Sometimes the “rough around the edges” approach can actually help convey the idea that you’re local and approachable. Plus the addition of various photo filters and great camera phones have made the process much easier for aspiring photographers.
Informative Articles
People tend to share posts that are informative and interesting. You see this often in the B2B community. Professionals will write articles that would help other professionals and share them on LinkedIn and other business-oriented platforms. Such posts become popular and have staying power. You might keep getting views years after publishing the content. They also help establish your brand’s authority, which encourages trust and improves your brand’s reputation.
The key here is to create awesome evergreen content.
Awesome – meaning useful, relevant, entertaining, or inspiring pieces optimized for search engines.
Evergreen – content that never goes out of style. For example, a recipe has much more staying power than an unimportant news article.
Taking the time to craft an article meeting these requirements often takes a significant amount of time, but it’s an investment that could pay dividends for years to come.
Conclusion
These are just a few ways for you to consider improving your social media. Try adding them to your communications and see the difference they make for your company.
If social media takes too much time or effort for you, consider hiring a professional. They can help you create a strategy, draft content, and communicate regularly with your clients and customers.
