How Social Media Can Help Your Business

While my social media series didn’t cover ALL the social channels out there, it did cover Meta (formerly Facebook) owned channels Facebook and Instagram. There are plenty more out there such as Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn, but I feel to get started in social media the two covered help you understand a lot about social media.

I started this series to educate folks about simple uses for social media, but what about small business owners looking to use social media beyond personal use? Social media can be a great tool for your business—and you don’t have to be on EVERY channel!

As I wrap up this series, I want to focus on those who are interested in taking social media beyond personal use to help grow their small business.

Finding the Right Channels for Your Audience

The key question here is WHO is your target audience? As a business owner, this is a very important question to know the answer to because all your marketing efforts should be based on reaching your target audience. Not all target audiences are the same and the more narrowed in you can get on a target market, the better!

Once you know who your target audience is, you’ll need to figure out where they hang out and get their information; what makes them take action to work with a company or purchase from a business.

Does your audience connect more with reading or watching a video? Are they looking to follow trends, save money, save time, etc. You may learn you need to be on one social channel, or maybe more.

How do you know which channel is right for your audience?

Here is a quick overview of some of the most popular channels.

• Baby boomers are taking over Facebook, TikTok is one of the newest channels, geared toward Gen Z. Facebook is the most popular social media channel in the world, allowing individuals and businesses to share images and text, videos and messages. TikTok is the new kid on the block, mainly geared toward Gen Z, but with a growing population of Millennials. TikTok allows creators to create 1 to 3 minute videos.  You can share videos (on and off the platform), comment, like, and even “duet” and “stitch” videos.

• YouTube is a great tool for those who want to prove longer videos, such as instructional videos. YouTube can help businesses host videos and then place on websites and allows creators to have their own channel, which users can follow and get updates on.

• As covered in earlier blogs, Instagram is a great place for a business that has something visual to share. Many brands will work hard to have appealing imagery and a cohesive profile to attract customers.

• On the other end of the spectrum from Instagram is Twitter. Twitter is more text based, but can also share imagery and videos, with a limit posts to 280 characters. This makes Twitter geared for quick updates and is a popular site to get the latest news, find updates on businesses you follow, etc.

• LinkedIn is the professional social media channel, helping users find jobs, connect with companies, and stay up-to-date with their professional network. LinkedIn is a great place to connect with others in your industry, share your expertise, and have ongoing conversations with others.

• While not last in the social media world, some also consider blogs to be a social channel. Blogging is a great way for businesses to share their expertise on subjects, generate conversations with customers and potential customers, share business updates and more.

Connecting with your Audience

You must be active on social media and you must catch a user’s attention. Just being on social media will not help you connect with your audience and build your business. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, so you need attention grabbing copy and/or a show-stopping image/video.

Users are scrolling fast and past dozens of posts a minute. What will make your audience stop? This is research your company will need to do, and may take some trial and error to find the right formula. Timing also plays a factor into the formula. Maybe your audience will stop if it sees a picture of a puppy, maybe they will be attracted to the colors you use. Knowing who your target audience is key in figuring out your social media content.  

Social media isn’t just a checklist item for your business to have—you need to engage and create a community! You can’t just share, you need to share, listen, and build relationships. Your business will need to be responsive and in a timely manner! If someone comments, respond! If someone sends a message, respond! Stay authentic and true to your brand, but it is ok to try new things and tricks to increase engagement.

Working in social media, I’ve seen this constant debate: Respond, ignore, or delete negative comments? This can be so tricky, but my go-to rule is to respond, especially if it is public. This is your opportunity to connect with someone, hopefully make their experience better, and show others you are on top of things. Respond with empathy, and not angry. Take a moment to think your response through. If it gets to be an issue and the same culprit is spamming your page, there are ways to prevent them from interacting, but that is subject for another blog!

Do You Need a Social Media Manager?

Social media can become a fulltime job as you grow your business. Small businesses also don’t always have the capacity to worry about social media because they busy running their business. Just like our attention spans are getting shorter, our patience is as well. People comment or message on social media and want immediate responses, making it tough for a small team. It is unrealistic to be responding 24/7, but, being on top of your social media’s engagement is important. How do you manage?

Since social media has grown as an important piece for businesses, many companies have a dedicated person on staff. If your team is small, it is also growing in popularity to outsources it to a freelance social media manager.

While social media isn’t the most important thing for your business, it can be an important element to help you grow. I highly recommend considering social media in your marketing plans, but remember, social media isn’t something that is necessarily easy to do (if you want to do it right).

Thanks for following along with these series! I hope you found it helpful, and you will continue to follow my blog for more marketing and graphic design advice. If you are looking for help with social media or other marketing topics, please let me know!