We are living in the digital age where everything is controlled by a virtual platform known as social media. It is unbelievable to know that almost 420 million people are connected to social media, who spend an average of two and a half hours every day. In the last few years, its popularity has surpassed everything. Now social media users aren’t just confined to a few rich countries like the US, Canada, or France, but have spread universally through the globe. Lately, Indian social media has become more powerful than its counterparts in rich countries.
Small Can Become Big
It doesn’t matter what your size is, you will need social media for growth and improvement. We all know big business houses are hugely dependent on social media for brand building, and to engage with their customers. They all have a social media manager to look after their interest on various social channels. But what about the small businesses that lack the resources of big companies
what is true for big business is also true for small business. They too need social media for their growth and development. Use of social media has been continuously growing among people, and this has given small businesses a new platform to scale up their operation. That is why many small businesses are now turning towards social media for brand building and marketing.
Talking of small businesses, social media experts have come up with the following tips that can help them in growth.
Discovery is Key
Let’s try to understand the concept of Social Media Marketing. In simple words the act of promoting your business on different social media platforms is called social media marketing. Every social platform has its own USP, and caters to a particular niche.
For example, Facebook is an ideal platform for all kinds of businesses because you will find people of every age group on this medium. Therefore, right from teenagers to young people to middle aged, and senior citizens – they all love Facebook.
The most important thing you need to do is to identify customers, and find out which platform they normally use. To begin with, focus on those platforms to engage with your target audience. We all use social media in our day to day work. We have become so used to these channels that now they are part of our comfort zone. And anything that is in our comfort zone makes us more productive.
Social media is a free platform. It doesn’t cost you anything to open an account on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You can open an account on any channel, and start posting your content.
While opening your account on these channels, fill in all your business details carefully.
Do it the Right Way
Once you have created a business page on these channels, focus on your content strategy and create innovative and interesting content. To get good results, you need to be consistent in your content strategy. Engage with your audiences and go through their replies and comments.
You should set your objectives, and business goals. They need to be attainable, specific, and relevant. Try to set goals on factors that have a major impact on your business. Therefore, instead of focusing only on likes, make an effort to create new customers and raise conversion rate.
It’s also important to know how your competitors are using social media. You obviously don’t want to copy them, but it will always help you in knowing what works and what doesn’t for businesses similar to yours. At the same time, from time to time you need to audit your existing efforts on social media. You can use social media audit templates to evaluate your working, and go for necessary changes.
Give What They Want
Try to find out which type of content your audiences like. Once you know what they usually like, try to make similar content. Customers’ loyalty doesn’t come easily. It takes time, effort, and perseverance. Every social media platform has a paid advertisement option. Depending upon your budget, you can use them to make your brand’s presence more pronounced on social media.
If you have got a negative comment about your brand, don’t lose your temper. Reply them politely, and try to solve their issues. Always take your customers’ feedback seriously, and if needed, incorporate changes in your product or services. Carefully study the analytics of your social media channel, and as suggested improve your marketing strategy.
This is a digital age, and every company, however small it may be, needs to have its digital identity. Moreover, gradually the traditional marketing is shifting towards online mode, and in near future the importance of social media will only increase.
It goes without saying that smaller companies too need a social media marketing strategy in place. They will be much better off with these marketing tips which will not only help make their digital identity, but will also turn their business into a modern brand.