Social media is one of the most important tools at a small businesses’ disposal these days. Even before the pandemic, it was one of the easiest ways to reach customers, advertise services, and build up a brand presence. Today, more than 72% of Americans use at least one form of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or more recently, TikTok.
However, social media is deceptively difficult to get the most out of. The sheer volume of content out there makes it difficult for small businesses to stand out. They don’t have the resources or the budget to create campaigns on part with those done by big companies and ad agencies. But the great thing about social media is that it’s an equalizer. With a bit of know-how and savvy, you don’t need to spend a lot to get the bang for your buck you’re looking for. Here are some ways you can make social media work for you.
Talk to an expert
You don’t have to do everything yourself. It often is less expensive than you think to get reputable social media marketing experts to help you out, especially when you’re first starting out. It’s often better to let someone who knows what they’re doing help you get set up. If you go completely wrong from the start, it will be expensive and time-consuming to correct whatever mistakes you made. There is truly an overwhelming amount of information out there to navigate — why not get someone to help you out? Most companies will be able to tailor a quote based on your specific needs, so you won’t need to spend more than you can afford.
Take courses
Here’s the rub: social media companies want you to use their platforms to advertise. So they want to do everything they can to help you out. Companies like Google, Facebook, and even TikTok all have courses available on their websites that teach you how to use their platforms for advertising your business. They give advice on what kind of content works, how to optimize your ad placement, and how to make the best use of your budget. You can even take a test and get a certification on how to use things like Google AdSense. Not only is this a great way to learn the ins and outs of how to advertise on social media, you’ll also pick up a new skill that can be applied in a lot of different contexts.
Plan it out
Don’t think of social media posts as individual units. They all form part of your brand campaign. Looking at the big picture will help you make sure that your advertising is both cohesive and comprehensive. For example, you don’t want to keep posting about the latest promotion that you have. You also want to advertise the benefits of your products, your store information, and other things you think your target audience might want to hear. Your plan should cover the whole breadth of what you want to communicate to your audience.
What, where, when
Don’t think that photos on Instagram are the only type of posts you should use. Instagram itself has Stories and Reels, which are short form videos. Posts on Facebook have more space for text as compared to Instagram. Diversify the type of content you have, and it’s more likely to reach a wider audience. A post on Facebook and a video on TikTok will reach two quite distinct audiences. That’s good if your target audience is broad. But if you’re only targeting younger people, consider skipping out on Facebook entirely and focusing on TikTok. With limited resources, it’s often much better to have a focused approach that is more precise in targeting the kind of customer you want. Lastly, have a content calendar so that you can keep track of your campaigns. It’s also a good way to see if your posts are frequent enough, too condensed, or too sparse.
Use the data
The magic word in social media marketing is “analytics”. Every time you post an ad or a post, you can see how it performs. The type and detail of statistics you get varies from company to company, but generally you can tell how many people saw your ad, clicked on it, and what type of person engaged most with it. You can use this information to tailor your ads. There is a famous principle in advertising called A/B testing. This is when you post two versions of the same ad to see which does better. For example, you can post both a photo and a video about the same thing and see which one does better. If the video does better, you know to focus more on videos in the future. This will help you create the most effective ads for your business, rather than throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.