Social media is a tricky thing, especially for small business owners. While there’s no question about its efficiency as a marketing tool, there is still a big question mark among many owners as to how they’re supposed to make it work in their favor. The pursuit of this answer may have driven you to commit grave mistakes that are having the opposite effect on your business.
If you feel like you’ve spread yourself too thin and all the money you’re spending on paid ads is going to waste, then it’s worth stopping to assess your strategy. See if you’re doing these three things because it’s only by knowing where you go wrong that you can properly resolve them.
Embracing All Platforms
With limitless reach on your fingertips, it’s tempting to be on each platform grabbing the attention of all potential clients. If you’ve ever given this a try, then you must already know that this is a taxing and ultimately futile effort.
Being on every platform leads you to miss out on the power of focused marketing on social media. This doesn’t mean you should only be on one platform; it simply implies that your online presence should be more intentional.
Take the time to consider the major demographics and the type of engagements the most popular platforms have. Facebook is all about building relationships, which can improve brand loyalty. If your market, however, includes males in the age of sixteen to eighteen, then it might not be the best platform for you. Switch to Instagram where the demographic includes people younger than twenty years old.
The same formula applies if your services cater to females who are in the process of building their careers. Build your presence on Pinterest where 80 percent of the users are female and redirect them to your account on Instagram where they’ll be better able to interact with your company.
Learn what demographics, purposes, advantages, and disadvantages of each platform and go for the ones that will improve your chances of reaching out to your target market. ;
Not Telling a Story
Perhaps the biggest folly of all is that a lot of small businesses don’t know how to tell a story on social media. The most dominant social media of all–Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube–thrive on stories. You’ll notice big companies today like Nike tell a story with each advertisement because that enables them to appeal to their audience better in such a limited time.
Once you’ve chosen your main platforms, prioritize your branding and use it to tell a story. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a child running across the Colorado River while wearing your shoes or a mother taking an incredible photo with her sick mother in the Grand Canyon using your camera. Stories create impact better than singular shots that just aim to impress.
If you don’t have the in-house resources to accomplish this, outsource professional services. The experts from a brand design studio can help you deliver the best stories for your products and services while staying true to your branding. It’s one of the most worthwhile investments you’ll make today.
Different Platforms, Different Purposes
LinkedIn targets professionals between the ages of 30 to 49 years old, and it’s best used for business news and purposes. Twitter is mostly used by people between the ages of 18 to 29, and this is where you want to discuss news and updates with your clients. Depending on your products and services, you can commit to three platforms and utilize them based on their purpose.
Instead of the usual email address and phone number to send their feedback, requests, and complaints, why not use Twitter? If you’re worried that being tagged in bad reviews will ruin your reputation, then think again. When customers see that you’re responsive and responsible, you’re more likely to win over new buyers than lose existing ones.
Instead of posting all your DIY videos on Facebook or Instagram, why not publish it where How To’s are better found–YouTube. You can then redirect them to your website, Instagram page, or your Twitter account depending on what they want to do next.
Learn to segregate content properly on each platform and optimize them to your business’s advantage. The better you understand how they work, the better you’ll be able to improve how you use them.
It All Boils Down to Strategy
Don’t just be on social media for the sake of being on social media. Get a strategy in place, and consider the predictions for the future of these platforms. Get experts on your team, too, even on a contractual basis to enable you to create the most compelling marketing campaigns. When it comes to social media marketing, your success boils down to strategy and how efficiently you’ll execute it.
