Social Media for Small Business - Less of the Marketing and More of the Social.
There, I said it: Social Media for small business should be more social and less about marketing. Those businesses that see it as another vehicle for advertizing their products and wares will find a very mute audience.
To make the most of social media, small business needs to have a complete change of strategy.
The biggest mistake businesses can make when entering the social media space is to view it as another place to do marketing. Marketing on social media is more than a tactical shift; it’s a complete change in strategy. Here are 5 tips to help you find success with small business social media.
Social Media for Small Business Tips
1. Being Social is a Frame of Mind.
Many businesses want to get involved in social media because they see it as a free means of marketing their company information. It is NOT!
Social media provides the unique opportunity to engage with mass audiences on a more personal level, which can help increase awareness, boost revenue, establish authority or create stronger customer loyalty.
2. Social media, is Not Stand Alone
Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and even a blog can’t function independently and don’t serve a purpose unless they are aligned with business objectives.
If your small online business marketing goals are to create awareness, generate leads or boost sales, social media serves as a tactic to help realize those goals. Social media should never be viewed as a separate or independent program.
3. Social media is A Listening Post, Not A Soapbox
Do you remember when you could walk into a record store and at the side, or towards the back there would be listening posts where you could listen to the latest albums before deciding to buy it or not?
Well, social media gives businesses the ability to listen to what the market is actually talking about before jumping in. By listening, conversing and sharing, businesses can better understand their customers, gather feedback and THEN engage with the masses in a more personal way. The emphasis should be on adding value and the first step is opening your ears and listening.
4. Relevance Trumps Content
You have just started writing a blog. Your content, in your eyes, is absolutely brilliant. Mind blowing even. You share this content all over social media, Facebook, LinkedIn Groups and specific Twitter hashtags, yet receive no response whatsoever.
Well, firstly if your content is about pink fluffy cushions and it is shared in an entrepreneurial forum, do you really expect engagement? If so you need to re-think. BIG time!
Even the best content will fall on deaf ears if it’s delivered to the wrong audience, shared at the wrong time or presented in the wrong way.
Learn to understand the needs of your audience. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is my ideal target audience?
- Where is my audience online?
- What problems does my audience have?
- When is the best time to engage my audience?
- How can I best engage with them?
Knowing your audience will help shape your content and make it infinitely more valuable and ultimately, more sharable.
5. Test and Track
Using social media for small business is only one step on the way to getting your blog noticed. The only way to check on the progress of your social media engagement plan is to track your results.
By results, I don’t mean the number of Facebook fans, Twitter followers or even blog subscribers you have, all of which are nice to have. Those metrics on their own can’t be taken as a true measure of success.
The value of social media isn’t measured by the size of your following, but by the resulting actions taken.
Whatever your business does, there will be a way for you to measure the influence of social media. Many social media sites may be free to use, but your time isn’t free. Tools like Google Analytics and bit.ly URL tracking are much more valuable because they measure the real effectiveness of your social media strategy.
The advantages of social media for small business are too great to be ignored and plenty of smart organizations are using this to their advantage daily. When your competitors are out there winning audiences, how can you afford not to?
About
James Debono is a small business owner and Internet entrepreneur. James dedicates his time to helping other small business owners leverage the power of the Internet to drive business growth and positive change. Click here Join James Debono on Google+
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There are some great tips here that a lot of people need to read and actually follow. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen “marketers” throwing their links all over the place about some random topic that has nothing to do with what I do. If people actually realized they were doing their business more harm than good they would stop. Actually no they won’t, because they are too busy dropping links to read your great post!!!
Clint Butler recently posted..NuSkin Scam Review
Hi Clint,
If people really want high quality backlinks then they have to take time to think about relevant places to include them. As you said if they don’t then badly placed links can do more harm than good.
Thanks for stopping by,
James
Great post James!
I particularly love tip 5 “Test and Track.”
As you suggest the tools and platforms of social media are often free but using them isn’t. First you’ve got to learn about them then plan your approach before implementing your strategy. All this takes time and money whether it be training costs, custom design or wages.
That said, social media is a fabulous medium for connecting with others including buyers, suppliers, mentors and more. The problem is many people quit before they test different ideas and campaigns. I think this is probably the most important message we can share – Social media will grow brand awareness and/or sales but you do have to continually test and refine.
Cheers, Caylie
Caylie Price, Better Business Better Life recently posted..A Small Biz Owner’s Guide To Their Valentine’s Day
Hi Caylie,
Social media leverage correctly is without doubt a huge asset for small businesses.
Planning, training, consistent implementation and testing will eventually provide results.
Thanks for your comment,
James
Thanks for sharing this insightful post. Although some might sound like a no-bainer, they certainly are worth reiterating and one can always make do with a reminder. Thanks!
Sometimes the most obvious of things get overlooked!
Thanks for visiting.
Right on, James. I have a post in my queue that addresses this issue, from a different angle. Great advice.
Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. recently posted..That aspirin tablet- NOT so fast!!!
Hey James,
Wow – I really enjoy reading social media posts that I can relate to…
I am very much a “listener” in the social networks – so much so, that I neglect the “engagement” part!
Listening and paying attention to what’s on others’ minds are two areas I have mastered, now I just have to work on adding value and engaging.
Many thanks!
Christine Brady recently posted..10 Ways to be the King of Comments
Hi Christine,
With the information that you have learned and the social media engagement you have followed. It will be a lot easier to develop your social media voice and start building your own community.
Thanks for visiting.
James
Hi dear James,
It’s really great, informative & valuable & more………all the best
Jojo Paul, Cochin, Kerala
Hi Jojo,
Thanks for the positive comments.
James