So you need to ramp up your social media game for your small business? Well, my friend, you’re in luck! Here are 9 social media tips for small businesses!

Firstly, we shall start with a big old congratulation!! You’re part of the elite and exciting world of small businesses. Whether you’re starting from scratch or joining a small business, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching your proverbial baby business grow.

Social Media Tips for Small Businesses.

1. Planning.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Put simply without taking the time to plan; you will have no idea what you’re trying to achieve with social media. It’s great knowing you have to cut down the tree, but if you don’t have the correct tools… well, you get the picture. Here are some key examples of things to think about.

Conduct a social media audit of your existing platforms.

Research your competitors on social media.

Create a social media calendar.

Set measurable social media goals and objectives.

Create a social media brand bible.

2. Know Where You’re Aiming.

Secondly, while this one forms part of the planning step, it’s actually so important it deserves its own point on this list. Make sure you know who your target audience is. You may have the best idea about what you do, or what you sell, but it’s pointless if you don’t know who your target audience is. So take the time to clearly define your target audience. Think about things like gender, age, interests and geographic location. In short, you should try to create a clear image of exactly who your customer is in your head. If you’re a B2B company then think about where your clients are, what they are looking for and what will catch their eye.

3. Which Social Media Platform?

There are literally hundreds of social media platforms that you could use as a small business. There are a few things to consider before you go stick your business on each and every one. Firstly, does your target audience even use it? Different social media platforms have different user demographics. So pick the one(s) that are most aligned to your audience.

Secondly, think of each platform as another mouth to feed. A mouth to feed with content, love and attention. Do you have enough time and resources? Your brand image and social trust can be damaged as a result of neglecting a platform where you have a presence.

To clarify, the general rule of thumb here is less is more. Choose one or two social platforms and dominate them. Once you’re a master and have them ticking over you can spread your efforts to other social platforms. Don’t be scared to drop one if you cannot see the value of it. You can always revisit it later.

For example: A commercial diving and engineering company may double down on LinkedIn while a digital instrument software company (B2C) will likely be active on Instagram and Facebook. Their audiences will be completely different in age, interests and behaviour.

4. The Right Tools.

Having the right tools can make the world of difference when taking on social media as a small business.

Here are a few of our favourite everyday tools.

Trello – Project management application.

Dropbox – Cloud Storage.

Hootsuite – Social media management dashboard.

Feedly – Content discovery tool.

Spotify – Nothing like a good tune to stay motivated.

H eadspace – Things can get stressful in social media!

eadspace – Things can get stressful in social media! Coffee Machine – High-performance thinking needs high-performance fuel.

5. Quality Content vs Quantity of Content.

As a small business, time is often something you don’t have an abundance of. When it comes to creating/curating content, definitely go with quality over quantity. Rather put out three great posts a week instead of 7 average posts.

6. This isn’t ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street.’

A big mistake people make on social media is making every post a sales pitch. Self-promotion gets old quickly! Now, we’re not saying that you shouldn’t try to drive sales. You’re a business after all. But it’s important to strike that blend of sales and engaging content. Engaging content will help you build rapport with your audience, ultimately converting them to a warm audience.

7. Schedule & Work Ahead.

It’s critical to constantly try to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to managing your platforms. Being intentional with what you’re aiming to do will help align your content better to your overall goals and objects. A great way to help keep your content aligned is to work with social content pillars.

Scheduling and working ahead allows you to create breathing room. In other words, you then free up time to work on something while you’re not under pressure. There’s nothing worse than staring at a blank box with no idea what to post.

8. Don’t be Scared to Seek Help.

Running a small business can certainly be stressful. There’s no sugar-coating it, it can be (Insert your choice of four-letter word.) hard. One person cannot be perfect at everything. A jack of trades is a master of none, therefore you should not be scared to seek help. There’s nothing wrong with enlisting the help of a marketing agency or a freelancer social media specialists. In other words, having someone to assist you can help you to better achieve your goals and objectives.

9. Always Be Prepared to Learn.

Social media is one of the fastest evolving and changing worlds out there. Platforms cycle in and out of fashion, algorithms change and content becomes stale. Always try and stay on top of what is going on in the world of social media. Don’t be scared to try something new. Sometimes it pays to be an innovator and not an imitator. Every mistake and victory comes with a lesson to learn.

There are plenty of great resources out there on the worldwide wide full of Social Media tips. We strongly recommend you check out GrowthSupermarket. They are without a doubt, one of our favourite online resources full of social media tips and tools.

Give it Some thought.

To sum things up, social media can make the world of difference for your small business if used right. There are approximately 3.196 billion people using social media on this planet, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be a part of it.

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