14 practical social media tips for B.A. small business owners
Social media pages have become a necessity, kind of like your website. If you don’t have one — in the eyes of some customers — you don’t exist. Also, having social media channels but without consistent posts may make the impression that you’ve closed. But not taking advantage of free social media platforms for your marketing efforts is also a missed opportunity to engage with more people about your business.
That’s not to say managing your social media presence is easy for small business owners who wear so many hats — trust us, we know. Meg Corso, owner and CEO of brand management agency Exclusively BA, knows too as she focuses on helping badass individuals with their marketing and business growth. We had the pleasure of having her on our podcast. Here are a few tangible tips from our discussion to help make social media management less overwhelming and more successful. To learn more, catch the full episode at the links below.
Authenticity is so important. Today, people are on edge about things that are overly salesy or promotional. Now more than ever, they see right through that.
Give a fellow small business a shoutout. You can each benefit from each other’s audiences. If you’re in a local chamber or other group, make it a point to react to each other’s posts. We can all “survive and thrive together.”
No one wants to be sold to on social media. People are on social media because they want to connect with people, so post like a human.
Ignore the haters; social media always has them. Follow the path of integrity and don’t stoop to their level with angry responses. Stay professional and move on from what’s not serving you. Your true fans will respect it.
Try to be as responsive as possible. If someone asks a question, it’s like they’re standing in your office. Social media is a huge opportunity to connect with your customers and cultivate that relationship through good customer service, just as you would in person.
The saying remains true: People want to do business with people that they know, like and trust. Even though social media can feel like a cold digital front, it’s still about building human relationships and telling a story that people can appreciate and support.
The social platform(s) you choose to focus on depends on a lot of factors such as where your audience is hanging out, what your objectives are, and what works best for you. Be open and strategic and experiment a little if you’re just starting out.
Aim to be “purposeful, personal and promotional,” via the wisdom of Meg Corso. Follow the 80/20 rule where 80% of the content you post should be indirect sales and 20% more direct promotions.
Meg also suggests creating “pillars” of content. For example, maybe one pillar is about the services or products you offer, then another is about what you’re doing in your community and the third is prompting your customers to share something in a structured way like “dog of the day” or something related to your area of business. Choosing pillars to pull from will make the “What do I post today?” question easier to answer and ensure you’re promoting what’s important to your efforts.
Batching your content creation also simplifies things. Spend some time taking a bunch of photos/videos on your phone or in a professional shoot. This is a cost-effective, manageable and fun way to build your content bank.
Don’t get frustrated by a lack of engagement. Sometimes you have to experiment for a while to see what people respond to. Also, evolving algorithms can limit reach. Consider that not getting a bunch of likes or comments on something doesn’t mean that no one saw it. Building your backlog of social posts is important for conveying your story to new visitors scrolling through.
Stay consistent and keep your information updated (hours, links, etc.). Even if you just post once a month it’s better than not doing it at all.
It’s ok to have a love/hate relationship with social media. They are powerful platforms with positive and negative impacts.
Don't be too hard on yourself. “It’s just freaking social media.”
To learn more, watch or listen to our podcast episode with Meg Corso “Stop Selling and Start Storytelling: A Personable Approach Pays off on Social Media.”
Listen https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-selling-and-start-storytelling-a/id1501809743?i=1000623745635
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