Does your small business have a social media strategy? With over 4 billion active social media users, this platform has become an important component of marketing strategies across all industries. Social media can help increase your brand awareness, nurture client relationships, and even make sales directly on the platform! There are many different social media platforms to choose from, and each one offers a unique set of characteristics. We have curated some guidelines for the 4 most popular social media platforms, so you can develop a strong social media strategy for your small business.
Facebook is a fairly casual social media platform, that many use to stay connected to their friends, family, and community. This platform is great for nurturing relationships and building brand awareness. One thing to note is that Facebook is heavily algorithm focused. This algorithm decides what posts show up in each individual user’s news feed. It aims to deliver content that is most relevant and interesting to the individual, using metrics such as past engagement and the engagement of their close contacts. So, in order for your posts to be seen, they have to meet a certain standard in the algorithm scoring process.
Things you can do to increase success:
- Personalize your page with your logo and website, organize your tabs, and include things like your opening hours or a price list
- Include a call-to-action on your business page, such as send a message, or book a free consultation button
- Post between 1 and 7 times each week to stay relevant and avoid spamming news feeds
- Post different types of content to see what best resonates with your clients
- Aim to keep your video posts under 2 minutes, and limit text to just a few sentences
- Tell your brand story and include some behind-the-scenes images to humanize your brand
- Help your algorithm score:
- Invite users to follow and interact with your page
- Provide valuable, authentic content and encourage conversation and interaction
LinkedIn is a popular social media platform for the professional audience. Users spend time on the LinkedIn platform to educate themselves and stay up to date with the latest developments in their industry. LinkedIn is also a great place to see what your competitors are up to and to network with others in your industry.
Things you can do to increase success:
- Include your website URL in your profile to direct customers back to your page
- Post once per week, varying your content
- Post content that will showcase your expertise and educate your clients
- Include an image or a short video with your post
- Utilize hashtags to be more visible
Twitter is a very fast paced, conversational social media platform where users go to find the most up-to date information. Each tweet has a maximum of 280 characters. Because of this, twitter is mostly used for quick updates, instead of robust informational articles. This platform is one of the more casual ones, so you can be a little more playful with your posts.
Things you can do to increase success:
- Acknowledge users with a like or a comment when they interact with your posts. This kind of conversation is what builds brand loyalty!
- You can post multiple times a day to reach your followers
- Aim to keep your tweets around 120 characters long
- Include 2-3 hashtags in your tweets
- Try posting around the lunch hour, or between 5pm and 6pm
Instagram is the most visual of all the platforms, allowing you to build brand awareness in a friendly and authentic way. Users browse through the photos and short videos, which are accompanied by short captions. This is an excellent platform to showcase your business, especially if you are selling a physical product, or a service with a visibly noticeable end result. This is great place to advertise and sell your product, promote any special offers, and increase the conversation around your brand.
Things you can do to increase success:
- Personalize your account with your logo and branding and to add your website URL in your bio
- Post between 2 and 3 times each week (can post stories more frequently)
- Keep your captions short and sweet, with the most important information at the top (only the first three lines can be seen while the user is browsing)
- Try posting some behind-the-scenes content to humanize your brand
- Request user-generated content (when the average person authentically promotes your brand, it feels like a personal recommendation from a friend!)
- Keep your content and messaging cohesive and aligned with your branding (colours, brightness, emotions, fonts…)
In Conclusion…
Whichever social media platforms you choose, it is important to stay consistent. Ensure your brand personality is shining through on each of your posts, and that you are posting regularly. Creating and implementing a social media strategy is a commitment that takes time and effort. However, a strong social media strategy can have a huge impact on your bottom line. Follow these tips today to get started! If you are ready to dive in, check out our social packages to see how we can help!