Running a small business can feel like herding cats. Pure, unadulterated chaos. And sometimes, you just can’t wrangle every unruly task…like social media management. That is until you found this guide! If social media marketing for small business is making you feel disorganized and scattered, here are some tips to help make it easier and more effective for your bottom line and workflow.
Tips for Social Media Marketing for Small Business
Social media is a must! Yes, even if you hate doing social media marketing. Don’t roll your eyes just yet. Here are some tips to make posting to social media sustainable and effective for your business.
1. Start With One Social Media Channel Then Add More
You can’t be everywhere on social, and based on demographic preferences, you probably don’t need to be. Choosing one or two platforms where you know you can connect with your market is the best way to use your resources wisely. If you need to hire a social media manager, use these tips to decide if you should go in-house or with an agency like Charm School.
2. Plan Your Content
Do you know why some of the most successful business people essentially wear a uniform (think Steve Jobs’s black shirt) or eat the same things every day (the Friends’ salad for lunch)? They’re trying to have one less thing to think about! Planning and scheduling social media content in bulk will help you post regularly, frequently, and consistently—all things your followers and the algorithms want to see.
Decision fatigue happens when you have so many decisions to make at any given time that your ability to make good choices erodes. What to post on social media can’t be just one more thing you have to decide or another thing to do. If you leave it until the workday to decide what to post each day, it won’t get done. You’ll get busy with other stuff, or you won’t know what to post, so you’ll just avoid doing it.
Instead, plan your content one month, or even one year ahead. Making a content calendar helps. You’ll need content buckets too.
3. Take a Shortcut and Download 365 Days of Social Media Post Ideas
Don’t have time to generate content ideas yourself? No problem! Download our 365 Days of Social Media Post Ideas to tailor to your business. Better yet, buy the entire Social Media Strategy Bundle with a DIY Social Media Strategy Planner and Framework and Ultimate Social Media Strategy Guidebook.
4. Schedule Your Posts
Most days as a small business owner are nonstop. The last thing you want is to finally finish your day just to remember that you forgot to post on social media. That’s where social media schedulers and tools come into play.
Many social media scheduling tools are very inexpensive, so you can try them out and decide which one you prefer before investing for long-term, bulk posting. We recommend you take a look at Planoly, Later, or Buffer. Don’t forget to go back and see when people engage most with your posts. Keep those times and adjust the others until you find the sweet spot for your audience!
5. Engage with Your Audience
Social media will never be totally set-it-and-forget-it. The word, “social,” is there on purpose!
Some scheduling services will allow you to aggregate and respond to comments in one platform. But if not, you need to make time once every day or couple of days to engage with your accounts. This engagement can happen in minutes throughout the day. It can happen all at once. While you should do it every day, the sky won’t fall if you have to skip a day. Just make sure you comment on other posts, like comments on your posts, and respond to questions, complaints, and compliments. Your followers and future customers will look at your responsiveness as a trust signal.
6. Embrace Trends
Pay attention to what others do on the social media channels. You may want to jump on the bandwagon with some trends. We’re not saying you have to start learning all the TikTok dances, but if your small business is a florist, you may want to jump on the Miley Cyrus “Flowers” bandwagon to encourage your customers to come shop. Whenever relevant and true to your branding, embrace the trend! Doing so will show your followers your business is current, fun, and very much alive and well.
7. Don’t Just Use Social to Sell Your Products and Services
Ummm, what? Obviously, social media marketing is part of your small business’s sales funnel and the end goal is a sale. BUT, you shouldn’t just use it to sell, sell, sell. That will seem spammy.
Make sure you alternate posts that are 80/20 educational and entertaining to salesy. Showcase your brand’s personality and those that display your products. People like to get to know you, your business’s values, and your products, simultaneously.
8. Brag a Little
Don’t forget to brag about your brand when warranted. Some of the best ways to do this are to post reviews or reshare posts of your customers using your products—and loving them. You can even have takeovers and ask your beloved customers to share their feelings about your business or what they like about certain products on your social platforms.
9. Repurpose Content
Just because you post something on one platform doesn’t mean you can’t share it elsewhere. And just because you share it once, doesn’t mean you can’t recycle it and use it again!
Repurpose content from your website or blog to share on social media. Alter your social posts to share on other platforms. A TikTok easily becomes a Reel, for instance. Instagram and Facebook can share content and visuals. Think about how you repurpose and share across platforms to get the most out of your social media budget.
10. Host Contest or Giveaways
People love winning. Hosting a contest or giveaway is a fabulous way to get people to subscribe to your social accounts. It’s also an excellent way to get them to try your products, share your page, and drum up publicity for your brand.
If you can encourage people to share your post for a chance to win a product, you’ll greatly expand your exposure. You can do these promotions as often as it makes sense for your market.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Small Business
People expect to find your brand on social media, even if they don’t go there looking for it. More than half of people say they’ve bought something from social media, and about 76% of social media users say they use it to research brands. As a small business owner, you can’t miss out on the ROI social provides.
Benefits of social media marketing include:
- Brand Awareness. People learn about your brand on social media by seeing posts from you and your happy, loyal customers. People can’t purchase something they don’t know about. Awareness is key to your business growth and success.
- Website Traffic. Social media helps drive traffic to your website, which is where people can learn more about your brand, you can establish your expertise, and they can buy your products.
- Conversions. Social media helps you take someone from knowing your brand exists to buying something from you; It helps you convert.
Hire Charm School for Your Social Media Management!
Need help with social media marketing for small business? We’ve got your back! You can get the social media marketing kit here, or reach out for a free consultation and more information on how to get started with our agency.
