Using Social Media to Build Up Your Small Business

It can be one of the most effective ways to drive up sales, and it fits in your back pocket.

Social media is a marketing tool that doesn’t have to cost you a dime and you don’t need a marketing degree to make it work.

Regardless of the age of your potential audience, creating social engagement is a fantastic way to build up brand awareness and sales.

Research from SproutSocial shows that consumers are nearly 58% more likely to buy from a brand they follow.

One common guide for social media marketing is the 80/20 rule. About 80% of your content should inform, educate, or entertain your followers and only 20% should directly promote your brand.

Too much promotional content was the number one reason why people unfollow a brand, according to SproutSocial. Posting too often, too little, and awkward use of slang were other big factors as well.

Avoid those mistakes and use these tips for building up your brand on social media…

1. Understand your audience

Choosing a platform that caters to your target audience makes a huge difference.

Facebook is most popular among 25 to 34-year-olds, however advertising on the platform is most successful with 33 to 44-year-olds.

Instagram is popular among 18 to 34-year-olds and advertising is also most successful amongst this group. TikTok is almost equally as popular amongst all ages, aside from the 50+ crowd.

Ask yourself who your brand caters to and pick a platform to communicate with that base. How old are they? Is there an overlap with other interests/topics? Do they prefer video or static content?

Overall, TikTok and Instagram are great platforms to focus on at the moment. Twitter is good for more straightforward things like company news or updates.

Consider the tone your brand puts out on social media. Gen Z will soon be one of the biggest demographics in the market. To them, it’s important for brands to have personality and seem down-to-earth. Humor is also particularly important to Gen Z and Millenials – but do your research because humor between these generations can be pretty different.

Even the meaning behind different emojis can change for Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X.

2. Make a plan

Once you understand who your audience is, you need to decide what kind of content you want to produce.

Start by setting goals and deciding which metrics are going to be important for your business. Are you focusing on likes, or are you more concerned with making content that people bookmark for later? Any goal you set should be clear and measurable. Think short-term and long-term.

Take a look at your competitors – what are other people in your field doing? Look at what seems to be working and what doesn’t. Notice which posts are getting the most engagement. This kind of research can shorten your learning curve.

Write a content calendar to list out what kind of content you want and when you want to post it. Having a calendar also makes it easier to plan ahead for holidays or other special events. That way you’ll always have timely content without the stress of rushing at the last minute.

3. Connect with your audience

Having excellent content might not be enough. Consumers like feeling connected to the brands they’re interacting with.

SproutSocial found that it’s important for businesses to engage with their following, not just throw content at them. Followers who have a positive social interaction with a brand are 71% more likely to make a purchase.

The top actions that led followers to make a purchase?

• Being responsive
• Offering promotions
• Providing educational content

Potential buyers will love to know that you see them as a person, not just another potential sale. So it’s important to respond to comments, DMs, emails, or phone calls in a way that’s not only friendly but also conversational. Sending out pre-written, copied-and-pasted responses probably won’t be endearing to your audience.

And don’t be afraid to get up close and personal. More than 1 in 4 respondents told SproutSocial that behind-the-scenes content motivated them to buy from a brand.

Being conversational and showing the activities your business is already doing day-to-day doesn’t cost you a dime. And ultimately, it’ll save you time. Overthinking a perfect, corporate response won’t necessarily help you grow your small business.