Managing a social media presence can be tricky. But, with the right strategy in one hand and a strong cup of coffee in the other, you can attract your ideal audience online.
Why social media management is important for small businesses
There are currently over 3 billion active users on social media. Floating around in that sea of people is your audience – you simply need to attract them.
Let’s dive into the specifics
1. You can target specific people
You can use your customer insights to drive your online advertising campaigns to seek out the right people.
2. Pick where to send traffic
When it comes to where to send traffic, you’re fully in control. Let’s take a look at two different platforms and how they differ.
EXAMPLE 1: Instagram
On Instagram there’s only space for one URL at a time, so you decide where to send people if they choose to click the link in your bio.
This is ideal for sending traffic to an offer or sales landing page.
EXAMPLE 2: Pinterest
Pinterest = options, options, options.
Think of this platform as a visual search engine where users go to be inspired, and shop. To date, stats show that 57% of Pinners intend to shop and eventually buy when they log into their Pinterest account.
To make it even better, every Pin can direct people to different sources and there’s no limit to the number of pins that can link to one source.
3. Get free customer data
Social media management for small businesses is a two-way street. Potential customers can get to know your brand, but you can also get to know your customers in the process.
It’s the speed date you didn’t know your brand needed.
Data is everywhere and people give it away for free on social media. The comments and DMs people are leaving can tell you a lot. Take note of what is (and isn’t) being said to figure out what people do and do not like.
4. Build better brand loyalty
Potential customers can get to know your brand really well without them ever physically meeting the people behind the scenes.
Through social media, people can follow your story, engage with your content and save content to read again later. The more they see you online, the more opportunities they’re getting to connect with you.
This also helps your brand stay top-of-mind. How can someone ever forget about you when you’re always there with a friendly hello?
Decide which kind of social media your small business needs
Options are great but they can also be overwhelming. That’s why it’s so important to pick the correct social media platform from the get-go. It will help you save a lot of time, energy and money later on.
Every social media platform offers its own features and perks. Once you know how they can meet your goals, it’s easier to decide what kind of social media your small business needs.
Facebook overview
✔️ With over 2.7 billion users, the stats prove that Facebook is indeed the most popular option online
✔️ Facebook makes it easy to reach new customers through targeted and affordable advertising
✔️ Because of Facebook’s ‘Buy button’, small businesses can beautifully and easily show off products PLUS customers can shop without leaving their Facebook account
Facebook makes up almost two-thirds of all social media visits to Shopify stores! On top of that, 85% of all orders come from Facebook
Instagram overview
✔️ Clocking just over 1 billion users, Instagram quickly became a popular go-to right after it launched
✔️ It’s a top-pick for aesthetically pleasing brands and any small business looking to visually show off what they do
✔️ There’s only 1 space to place a link, so any and all traffic can be directed to a specific landing page
Instagram is a great place to show off your brand’s personality and make the most of user-generated content
Pinterest overview
✔️ A visual platform designed for targeted traffic
✔️ At first glance it might not seem like it, but Pinterest is the platform to sell. It accounts for 13% of all social media traffic to Shopify stores and, if you provide niche services or products, that number is even higher
✔️ This is a highly engaged community. Pinners login with the intent to read, research and eventually buy. If someone clicks on your pin, they’re likely to click through to your website too
Have an aesthetically pleasing brand? Pinterest is the place to be
Twitter overview
✔️ Twitter is all about sharing content and opinions
✔️ This platform should be your top pick if you quickly and instantly want to reach a large number of people in a short amount of time
✔️ Remember to always use a picture too. Stats show that retweets are 35% higher when pictures are included instead of text-only tweets
Twitter gives you access to incredible reach. Include a few targeted hashtags and you’ll be on your way to reaching a portion of their 330 million users.
LinkedIn rundown
✔️ This is a professional network geared towards B2B marketing
✔️ While this might not be the first platform that comes to mind when you think social media, LinkedIn is actually a crucial space for networking and connecting with people who are ready to learn more and eventually buy
✔️ People on this platform are interested in industry insights and knowledge sharing
Like other social media platforms, LinkedIn also has the option to promote specific posts to reach a new audience.
Now that you know more about social media management for small businesses, you can place your efforts where it really matters and where it can really convert.
Setting social media goals for your small business
The best way to know what’s working and where you should focus your efforts is to have goals. Mapping out goals for your social media presence makes it easier to measure your efforts.
Posting consistently simply isn’t enough. You need to make sure that you’re driving brand awareness and reaching your target audience in the process.
Not sure where to start when it comes to setting social media goals for your small business? Here are a few goals to help you along…
- Encourage higher audience engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc)
- Generate warms leads
- Maintain positive brand reputation management
- Build a relevant and engaged audience
- Increase the number of people who attend events that are marketed on social media
- Increase customer satisfaction
Pick the end-goal that works best for you and focus on that.
Social media analytics and reporting for small businesses
Now that you’ve mapped out your goals, what’s next? The only way to know if it’s ACTUALLY working is to measure it.
When it comes to social media many factors affect the end result. Here are quantifiable metrics you can measure your efforts against.
- Impressions: the number of times someone saw your post
- Engagements: the number of times someone interacted with your post. These include likes, saves, shares, follows, replies, comments and clicks
- Engagement rates: this is your number of engagements divided by the number of impressions
- Visits: the number of times someone visited your profile
- Mentions: the number of times your handle was mentioned on social media
- Follows: the number of people who follow your social media account
Social media management tips for small businesses
If you’ve gotten to this point then you know WHAT to do, but I’m sure you’d love to know HOW to do it.
Here are my top social media management tips for small businesses
1. Identify your audience on social media
Before you start talking to people on social media, you need to understand who you’re talking to. That way you won’t waste your time, energy or money talking to the wrong people.
- How can you identify your audience on social media?
Take a closer look at your social media analytics. It’s packed with information like location, age, gender, etc. Compare this information to your ideal customer data and let those insights help guide your efforts.
2. Connect through meaningful engagements
Engagement might sound familiar because I mentioned it earlier in both the goals and analytics section.
Would you ignore a customer walking into your store or emailing you to purchase? No! Don’t do it on social media either. People reach out to you for a reason, your next sale could be on the other side of your reply.
- How can you connect through meaningful engagements?
Check your DMs and make a mental note to reply to every single question. Go through the comments on your posts and either like them or answer any questions people might have. Don’t forget to comment on the posts you’ve been tagged in too.
3. Identify new opportunities on social media
One of my all-time favourite ways to spot opportunities is right on social media.
Instead of aimlessly scrolling on social media, scroll with intent instead. Who knows, you might just be commenting on a future client’s post.
- How can you identify new opportunities on social media?
Search for hashtags related to your products or services and then comment on posts that are actively looking for recommendations in your niche.
4. Create a content calendar
Setting up your social media accounts is one thing, posting content is a whole other story.
Most small business owners post whenever they remember. This lack of strategic planning contributes to not getting the results you actually want.
- How can you create a content calendar?
Spend time mapping out when you’ll post and what you’ll post ahead of time.
It’s easy to forget to post and have a month go by in the process.
5. Find the best time to post on social media
Thanks to social media people around the world can connect with you. But time zones and busy schedules still get in the way.
- How do you know when’s the best time to post?
Tap into your social media insights to see when people are online so that you can post when they’re most likely to see it.
6. Use those hashtags
Hashtags can help you reach a new audience for free, but there’s a catch: you have to use the right hashtags to make sure that you’re being found by the right people.
- How do you know how to use hashtags?
I have a detailed article that lists 4 ways hashtags can help you get more customers.
7. Audit your social media accounts
People change, brands change sometimes the way you’d like to position our business changes too. It’s important that your social media accounts reflect that.
- How do you audit your social media accounts?
Block out time to sit down to carefully read your bios and check your links to ensure that they work correctly.
Now’s a good time to also map out any changes you’d want to implement and then action it.
Social media content ideas for small businesses
Sitting down and consistently coming up with content ideas can be tough. It’s even tougher when you’re busy or not feeling inspired in the moment.
I’ve put together 1 month of free content ideas to help you along.
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Social media management partner for small businesses
Whether it’s where to start, when to start or even how to start, launching a social media presence can be overwhelming – luckily I’m here to help.
I help small businesses go from unseen and unheard to standing out on social media, without them worrying about spending more money and more time on their digital presence.
“I wish I had more time” – if someone gave me R100 each time I heard this, I’d definitely have enough to finally take that dream trip to Greece!
More time is something many business owners wish they had. I might not have a magic lamp for everything but I do know one thing you could start saving time on – your social media posts.
Are you ready to take your social media presence to the next level?
View my social media services here
