We’ve witnessed small businesses, like yours, implementing an effective social media strategy. We’ve also seen small businesses try to fit into a box where they really don’t belong. It’s exhausting, and it’s not effective. Avoid the pitfalls that other small business owners have fallen into and choose the right social media platforms for your business. How do you know which ones are a right fit? It depends on your target audience and how many staff members you have to help out.
Narrow Down the Networks
There are literally dozens of social media networks where a business might consider launching a page. We’ll focus on the most common: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. When you consider each of these networks, ask yourself these questions.
- Does this site relate to my business?
- What is the target audience?
- How much time is necessary to run an effective profile on this site?
Breaking Down the Details About Social Media Platforms
Facebook is great for small business because it helps you build brand loyalty and establish a good reputation among your community. When you post interesting content and valuable informational posts, you’ll be seen as an authority in your field. Facebook reaches a wide variety of people because there are users of all ages on the social media site. It’s a great opportunity to create ads that will drive traffic to your website. Some of the best posts on Facebook are personal stories and testimonies. Facebook users range from 25-45 years old. Of that, 60% are female and 40% are male.
Twitter is the social media network for quick updates, breaking news, new product information, interesting content, contests, and instant feedback from your followers. What makes Twitter unique is a sense of both urgency and brevity that the audience desires. They get all of the information fast, and everything is succinct. Twitter is ideal to start conversations with customers, and it’s easy to group similar conversations by using a hashtag (#). Twitter users range from 18-29 years old and are about half male and half female.
Think of Pinterest like an online scrapbook or bulletin board. It’s a great place to showcase products and inspire your customers using brands that you carry in your store. Pinterest is effective at driving traffic back to your website and you can micro-target your audience using their clearly defined categories. High-quality and eye-catching images are essential to Pinterest. Users on this social media site are usually 18-35 years old and predominantly female; 80% of users are women.
Consider the Time Commitment
These platforms are called social media because it’s a place to be “social.” Building a relationship with your audience is essential on all social media platforms. Set aside time to post videos, share articles, and generate interesting content. You’ll also need to set aside time to interact with your customers. It takes an experienced social media marketer about 6 hours per month to create posts, gather images, and schedule them to appear on one social media platform. Multiply that by the number of platforms you want your business on to get a good number of hours to dedicate. Be sure to add time for interaction.
