Catherine Arrow
Executive Director, PR Knowledge Hub
First tip – don’t be scared of social media.
For a small business – even a big one – it can seem a daunting place to be but, with a good strategy, social media engagement is an investment of time that can grow your enterprise.
Keep in mind, social media is one part of a business’ digital transformation, not the whole thing. It helps you build relationships with your customers and supports your broader digital strategy, but it needs a plan of its own. And remember, in our online world, if you don’t talk about your business, someone else will, so better that you are the one to develop your presence.
Think of your digital marketing like a tree.
The roots are in your website – that’s your space where you can anchor your digital presence and grow. Your social channels are the branches connected and linking back to your site. Start with your website and do some basic discovery. Ask: is it mobile-friendly? Is it Google-friendly? Are your images optimised so they are fast to load? There are plenty of free online tools to help you find the answers. Get it working well. If not, you are going to scupper the opportunities you create elsewhere.
Focus on your goals, and don’t spread yourself too thin. Before you start any kind of social media strategy, ask yourself these six questions:
- Why are we doing this?
- Who do we want to talk to, and why?
- How will we be helping them connect and do business with us?
- Where shall we build our community?
- What’s the style and tone of our business?
- Are we listening well?
Carve out some time
Do not just plough ahead, hoping for the best. Do your research and develop a plan. Finding the time to work on this is possibly the hardest task, especially this year, when we are all pretty exhausted – but it will reap dividends.
Research the different networks
You are distinctive and so is your business. So, while you might look at your competitors’ pages and profiles during the course of your research, view them through a customer’s eyes. Do not get distracted or try to emulate them. Decide what you might do better but with your eyes firmly on what is appropriate for your customers – and ignore the rest. Decide which social platforms you will use, based on where you know your customers are, and be prepared to move if and when they move.
Building a community takes time and can be hard, especially from scratch, so don’t be afraid to invite your friends and family to like your social media pages/feeds – and encourage your team to do the same.
Avoid single action bias
Do not think of social media as broadcasting to an audience – aim to involve people. Don’t just “send stuff out” – posting a photo and caption in the same place at the same time every week will not generate amazing results. Social media is personal; it is about growing a community, genuinely engaging with people, and is far more rewarding for everyone when it is a two-way dialogue.
Turn your idea into something relevant for your followers. You can use online design tools to help you put images together so that you can illustrate your content or use your phone and create some video – you don’t need to be Stephen Spielberg to get some good shots. Think visually, even if your business appears – at face value – not to be particularly visual. Ask a few trusted people (such as those in your network group) what images pop into
their head when you describe your business.
Share your day-to-day experiences with your community. For example, if you have been to a good networking event, share a picture of you with other local business owners and say something like: Great workshop with Business North Harbour today – talked all things social media with… and tag those people and their businesses (but check with them first they’re happy to appear). Give people a “behind-the-scenes” look at what you do, and encourage them to get involved.
Keep the content flowing. It does not have to be hourly or even daily but do be consistent. Nor is it all about consumer-facing businesses; social relationships are just as important for business-to-business.
And, celebrate your people!
Put your plan into action
Once you’ve answered the questions, done your research and developed your content, it is time to get moving. You are building relationships, connections, loyalty – and that means you need to talk to people. So, don’t be shy and, if it all seems a bit overwhelming get some independent help and advice.
Useful tools and resources:
Check if your website is mobile friendly:
https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
Get some page speed insights:
PageSpeed Insights (google.com)
