If you have a business, there is a very slim chance that you’re not on social in some way. 77.6 percent of small businesses say they use social media to promote their businesses. However not all brands have a thriving, active presence – a lot of them are just there. If you want your business to reap the benefits of your social presence you need a strategy and some structure. Even if you do not have a blockbuster budget, you can still create a successful social presence if you use these four tips.
Be a human
This is a really big one. One of the most destructive mistakes businesses make on social media is portraying yourself poorly and coming off as a business that lacks personality. Now is the time of transparency, and people want to know your brand and business on a more personal level.
Brands today are learning how to make jokes and speak to their followers like they do their friends. A human social media presence is an expectation among followers, so don’t come across as a robot.
One was to humanize your business is to show off the faces of those behind your social feeds. This is a great way to form a bond with your followers. Remember that transparency can improve your business reputation.
Strive to build relationships
The number of people following you isn’t what matters; instead strive to have followers who regularly engage with you and your content. The engagement you have is infinitely more valuable than having 5,000 followers who ignore what you post.
One beautiful thing about social is that you can form strong relationships in a moment with people from any physical location. Make sure to reply when people ask questions, use comments to start conversations and tag people you refer to in your social media posts. Learn some ways to combat negativity on social media and focus on always providing your customers with value.
Automate the right way
Automation is where it is at today, and for a valid reason. Yet you cannot expect to put your social presence on autopilot and walk away and find success. Mass auto-replying is out, and personalization is in. Automation for scheduling your content is great but focus on customer care where you’re dealing with actual customers.
Set SMART goals
Think about why you’re on social media in the first place. If you don’t have an answer beyond that everyone else is on it, you need to figure some things out.
SMART goals aren’t new; but they are very important to your goals on social media today. Brands need to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timed. A goal such as “We will increase our social engagement by 25 percent by the end of the second quarter” is a good example of a SMART goal.
When you identify your social media platforms and assign them a specific, concrete purpose you can avoid posting aimlessly and getting nowhere.
On the surface, it may seem easy to just share a few things about your business and go on with your day. Yet in reality, social media growth requires effort, time, execution, monitoring and more. The good news is that growing a social media presence for your small business isn’t impossible as long as you’re willing to exercise patience and devote time to it.
