These days, having a social media presence is vital for a business, rather than being an optional extra that is a complement to your physical store and website. You may not realize it, but if your business isn’t active on at least one social media platform, then you could be missing out on everything from major marketing opportunities to the potential of connecting with new audiences and the facility to get feedback on new products or services before committing to taking them to market.
If you’d like to get your business up and running on a social platform but aren’t sure how to get started, then use the handy guide below to set the wheels in motion and prepare to reap the benefits!
Choose the Platform
First of all, it’s important to select the right social media platform (or platforms) for your unique business to ensure maximum effectiveness. TikTok, for example, is widely regarded as being geared towards a younger audience, whereas YouTube is perfect if you’re planning on sharing regular how-to videos and guides.
To make this work, you’ll need to know your audience – or new target audience – really well, so take some time to think about this and use the analytical tools on your website or POS system as a guide to gain further clarification. You’ll also need to fully understand the different social media platforms, too, so researching these as part of making your decision is likely to be an hour or so well spent.
Consider Your Content
Next, plan the type of content you’ll be uploading to your social media site, and think about what the primary purpose of your presence will be: is it to direct visitors through to your website, to widen your appeal to a new demographic, or to advertise new products, for example? Having a plan in place with help to optimize your content and focus your efforts, meaning that you’re less likely to end up with a scatter-gun, less cohesive overall effect.
Making a content plan is a great idea and will better allow you to stay on top of what needs to be posted or uploaded and when. Create a schedule and detail the nature of the content you’ll need to create ahead of time so that you can either begin this task early or delegate it to other staff members.
If you’ll be using a YouTube channel to promote your goods or services, then taking a few simple steps to optimize your videos to make them appear as professional as possible is advisable; to this end, take some time to get the lighting right, and to create a clear script; you could even add a soundtrack for extra effectiveness – getting hold of stock music to use in the background of your video may be easier and more cost-effective than you thin. Edit your video properly, too: be sure to cut out any scenes or sections that don’t serve a purpose, and check that the sound levels are equalized throughout.
There are scheduling tools and apps available that can make things easier and that can even automate this side of things, so that pre-created content will be posted at a specified time.
Build Your Audience
Next, you need to find and engage your audience. Getting folk to visit and follow your shiny new social page is best done using a multi-pronged approach. Firstly, use your website to advertise its presence: you could offer a discount code for the first two hundred people to follow your page to kick things off and get your numbers up, for example. Secondly, promote your new social presence in the store, if you have physical premises. Do this with in-store flyers, or by advertising, for example, a competition running on the page.
Depending on your budget and the kind of business you run, you could even consider a launch event and give out free keyrings, pens, or other small items that include details of your Facebook page or Insta account, for example.
Once your social presence is up and running, it’s important to keep thinking of new and innovative ways to build your audience. It’s also vital to keep your existing followers or online fans engaged, which is most effectively achieved through…
Consistently Compelling Content
Getting set up on a social platform is only the first part of your business’ online adventure! To keep your audience coming back and for the best chance of consistently increasing your follower numbers, you’ll need to keep high-quality, engaging content coming on a very regular basis.
Ideally, you should be looking at posting new content a minimum of two to three times a week. This may seem like a lot, and you might be concerned about the time implications, but this commitment is likely to be well worth it. If visitors regularly find fresh, interesting, entertaining, or useful content, then they’ll be much more likely to actively engage with your company and form a good impression of your brand. Building this connection by providing your followers with top-notch content is a great investment.
