Social media - it's basically all anyone talks about anymore, am I right? It's how I get my news, stay connected with friends, find new restaurants to eat at and more. So it's a no-brainer that your small business should be active on social media.
There's a few key points to discuss when it comes to socials. Being consistent is important, putting out valuable content is key, and connecting with others is a must. Sounds simple, right?
CONSISTENCY
Have you ever scrolled through your feed one day and see a post that pops up and thought "wow I didn't even know I followed them, they haven't posted in AGES?" or been searching for a sweet new coffee shop to try but noticed they haven't posted since October of last year and wondered if they're still open? Yeah, me too. Being consistent on social keeps you relevant. It keeps people thinking about your business and hopefully having it be top of mind when they are in search of a product or service that you offer.
Plus, social media marketing is FREE! There are, of course paid advertising options which I can dive into at a later date, but consistently posting on social is free. You just need to set aside the time to do it. In order to remain consistent, it's important not to bite off more than you can chew. Diving in head first and going from 1 post every few months to 7 days a week is not sustainable. Start with 3-5 days a week and work your way up! Meta makes it super easy to schedule your content too.
CREATING VALUABLE CONTENT
Creating content definitely not the easiest. Sure, you can snap a photo of your newest project here and there with a caption "new project!!" but that's not inviting anyone to interact with you. Your sole purpose in creating content for your social media marketing plan should be to serve your target audience. I repeat, SERVE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE.
For example, if you run a mommy and me class, your content should be directed at answering questions and solving problems for expecting and new mothers. This very specific group is who would be searching for and consuming your content. Your posts should contain key words like "motherhood" or "new babies" and your hashtags should be the same, along with location specific hashtags as well.
Always be working to solve your followers/target audience's problems. Content in your caption is so the most important for getting your message across. For a mommy and me class, you could have a caption revolving around "what to include in your hospital bag" or "how to introduce your new little one to their older sibling." The possibilities are endless. Remember, you have SO MUCH knowledge about your topic - sometimes info that may seem so simple an obvious to you but your followers aren't aware of.
CONNECTING WITH OTHERS
Don't post and ghost! There I said it. It's tough right? As a business owner you have a million responsibilities.. you don't want to be scrolling through your feed all day. As a general rule, it's important to log on and interact with your followers for a few minutes before and after you post. Because my posts are scheduled, I like to hop on around the time they go out to reply to comments, like and comment on others' posts and share things that resonate with me on my stories. This should work to boost your engagement on the apps.
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I get the question "which social media platforms should I be on?" quite a bit. It's hard to answer because each platform serves a different purpose. The most important thing to consider is the demographic that uses each.. (ex, Tik Tok is a younger audience while Facebook is more popular with older generations). So, I tell clients that it's best to focus on 1-3 platforms and be create really great, valuable content on them than to spread yourself thin creating mediocre content on all of them.
If all of this sounds a bit overwhelming or leaves you with questions about your own business' social media presence, reach out! I offer social media consulting, FREE Instagram bio audits and even full social media management. Let's chat!
xo Rebecca
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