Social Media Marketing for Small Business
Whether you’re a small business just starting out or a Fortune 500 brand that has been around for years - growing your consumer relationships is always a priority. For newer businesses that have limited budgets, leveraging a free marketing alternative such as social media is considered table stakes. However, the question is how to best go about participating in a way that is both relevant and effective.
Many business owners take the "shotgun" approach and open up as many accounts on as many different platforms as possible. This approach negatively impacts business because it dilutes the brand's reach. As tempting as it may be to create an account on every platform and start posting away, it’s necessary to take a step back and do some initial planning to set up a social media presence that not only engages consumers and prospects, but also amplifies your brand in a cohesive way.
So how should you get started? The first step is to prioritize the platforms that make sense for your brand. Each platform serves a specific purpose, and by narrowing down the options, you can focus energy on creating content that is right for the platform instead of content that is one-size-fits-all.
Take a look below for a general snapshot of major platform purposes coupled with the appropriate look and feel.
Once you’ve narrowed down platforms that match your brand’s objectives, the next step is determining a consistent visual identity and tone of voice that encompasses content across all platforms. This provides a singular identity that is immediately recognizable to consumers regardless of the platform they’re browsing at the moment. Take time to map out photography styles, on-brand language and key content topics that are core to your brand.
Finally, start creating content to post! While you may be ironing out the kinks, platform prioritization along with a solid visual identity and voice provide a strong foundation to start building an effective social media plan. Be sure to keep up the cadence of your posts so fans are served content that they want and expect.
Keep in mind that social media is constantly evolving, with updates occurring every day. What’s true today could be false tomorrow. It’s important to stay up to speed with news in the digital space and take advantage of the latest developments to connect with your audience and use platforms the way they’re using them.