Are you wondering what benefits social media could bring to your small business?

Here’s the thing: In 2018, it was estimated that there were 2.65 billion social media users around the world. And there is a big chance that the majority of your target customers are a part of it.

That’s why you should make social media marketing and advertising an integral part of your overall marketing strategy. 

Still not convinced that social media can help your small business grow? In this post, we will talk about the eight effective ways you can use social media to grow your small business. 

Define Your Marketing Goals

Before you start posting content on social media, you have first to identify what your marketing goals are. Whether its increasing brand awareness or boosting customer engagement, make sure that these goals are clearly defined. 

Think of it as you would with any marketing strategy. You would not run a campaign without creating goals first, would you? Treat your social media strategy in the same way. 

Once you have decided on the purpose of your social media campaigns, it will be a lot easier for you to come up with content to publish. 

Learn About Your Target Audience

Social media is a platform where people can express their thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Meaning, more and more people are receptive to brands and products and are more than happy to talk about their personal experiences. 

You can get this data by checking your competitors’ social media profiles, as well as groups that are related to your niche.

For instance, if you want to create content regarding digital marketing, you can check out digital marketing-related groups on Facebook and find out what people are talking about.

If the majority of those members have similar pain points or questions, you can place that information in your personal data sheet, and think of ways how you can use that data in your existing content marketing strategy.

However, you do not have to do it alone. If you have the budget, you can seek the help of an advertising agency to help gather marketing data for you.

Choose the Right Platform

Creating content for social media simply is not enough. You need to make sure that it reaches your audience consistently.

The most effective way of creating the right kind of content is by using a social media calendar. In a nutshell, a social media calendar details the schedule of the type of content that you will be posting on various social media platforms.

There are several ways on how to create a social media calendar. You can either use a spreadsheet in your Google Drive or use a paid tool. 

Regardless, a clear social media calendar lets you stay accountable, consistent, and more productive when it comes to creating a result-oriented approach in social media marketing. 

Use the Right Tools

The key to an effective social media strategy is taking advantage of the right tools to automate and simplify your work.

Several social media marketing tools will boost your productivity and implement your strategy without having to hire a full-time social media team. 

• Content creation: A lot of small businesses struggle with coming up with new content to share regularly. Buzzsumo is a tool that will help search and organize content to share with your audience. 
• Graphics: Eye-catching visuals are important to grab people’s attention and keep them engaged with your post. Popular tools like Canva and VSCO will help get the job done. 
• Analytics: Getting all the data in a single place can give you a better picture of your social media efforts. BrandWatch helps you come up with in-depth reports. Meanwhile, Hootsuite Insights allows you to gain insight into how well you are capturing the conversation in your niche.

Be Visual

Attention spans are getting shorter these days, so make sure that you include engaging visual content like photos and videos.

Not only will this boost your engagement, but it is also great if you have a business with products that you can show off. 

For service-based businesses, you can consider posting a photo with relevant texts. Also, do not forget to tap into visually-oriented platforms like Pinterest and Instagram.

Build Relationships 

Social media is what it is ‒ it is all about being social. Through the platform, you can build meaningful relationships over time, rather than selling your products to people upfront. 

Facebook is a great way to establish a strong sense of community among its members and improve brand loyalty. You can also establish relationships with influencers in your niche. 

Also, consider working with micro-influencers (those social media famous people with around 10,000 followers). They are extremely effective in establishing brand trust and works great for smaller brands for limited budgets. 

Broadcast Live Video Streams

Doing live video streams is another way to boost your social media engagement. It also gives you a more authentic connection with your audience. 

You can utilize live broadcast in several ways, and a popular choice for small businesses is giving your followers a behind-the-scenes perspective of what happens within your business.

It can be something like “a day in the life” or showing how your products are manufactured and shipped. Another example is giving your followers a tour of your facility or introduce them to your staff.

Doing so makes your audience feel that they are part of something exclusive, which brings them close to your brand. 

Live videos are also great for product demos, how-to tutorials, Q&A sessions, events, and more. 

Create Personalized Advertising

As you learn more about your audience, you can craft more personalized campaigns on social media. At the end of the day, your audience wants to see offers and products that are relevant to their personal and current situation. 

There are several ways you can craft personalized ads. The first strategy needs retargeting pixels on your site. When web visitors go to your site and leave without making a purchase, your site places a browser cookie on their device.

Thus, when that user is browsing social media, later on, they would get personalized ads based on the items that are related to their cart. You can even couple it with a coupon or discount to sweeten the deal. 

You can also get the data that you have obtained to create ads that are personalized for your target audience. For instance, if the majority of your audience wants to know some tips on how to care for low-light indoor plants, you can create an e-book and then use it as a lead magnet. 

Final Thoughts

By now, you should have a solid understanding of how social media is beneficial for your small business. Keep in mind, though that not all strategies will work well for your business. So test each one, gain insights from them, and make improvements along the way.