How does a small business owner begin a social media marketing campaign? What does it take to do it correctly?
I’ve narrowed this process down to several small steps so that your business can see growth and results within only a few months. Why not make 2017 the year your business reaches new heights?
Start by doing this…
Hire a Professional. Freelancer or Part-Time Employee. Or perhaps a current employee can build their resume by learning social media marketing from an expert and taking on this project within your organization.
Optimize your Website. Make sure it is mobile-friendly and has all of the back-end SEO set up correctly. Your hire from above will help you with this.
Define your Audience. Based upon your audience demographics, you can easily decide (along with your marketing expert) which social media platforms would be the best fit. For example, a senior citizen audience —and utilizing Snapchat as a tool to reach them— would not be a good fit—Facebook is the ideal choice here.
Start Small. If you delve into too many social media accounts and do not maintain them properly, your brand may take a hit. Take your time with it. Build a Facebook page, create content, develop your Likes and build a solid Facebook presence… Once it’s a well-oiled machine, branch out from there.
Send out Email Newsletters. Whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, sending a company email to your customers on a consistent basis is crucial to keeping your name in front of them. If you miss out on a buying opportunity versus a competitor, most likely your email campaign is not engaging or content-rich. Make your newsletters worthwhile; say something important and provocative to grab their attention.
Become a Blogger. You know your products/services inside and out and, most likely, are an expert in your field. Why not write about it? If you are not a terrific writer, you have many options for a ghost writer… including your administrator, marketing team or a team member with a writing passion. Add the blog to your website, and voila!, you have automatic content for social media posts.
Images and Video Rock Social Media. Online content telling your product’s story through video or photos will receive the widest reach of viewership versus just posting text and words. Even better, a happy customer’s photo using your product or service is one of the most powerful content tools available to reach your prospects.
Paid Ads Blow Away Organic Search. In order to get the most bang for your buck, start with paid ads via Google AdWords Express, Facebooks post Boosts or Facebook local awareness campaigns. Organic (or unpaid search) is becoming more difficult to obtain since search algorithms seem to change on a daily or weekly basis. If your organic results are nil, a paid campaign of only $5/day could do the trick.
Check out the Results. Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest and others have analytics to show you how your page is performing. Let the numbers speak for themselves and compare your business to online profiles of your competitors. This will help you seek out where you need to grow your presence online.
Feel free to comment below with your small business social media marketing experiences.
Cheryl Friedenberg
Marketing Consultant
High Key Impact, LLC
Highkeyimpact.com
Cheryl@highkeyimpact.com
