A small business might want to be on social media for a number of reasons. These may whittle down to the relative budget of a small business vs a big business, but today it might just be that a lot of people are online – so it’s great to be where your customers are.
Social Media Tips for Small Businesses
I have three main tips to share for small business owners who want to be on social media:
What is your goal?
Social media can be a big time drain if you don’t know why you’re using it. Now, I don’t say that to put you off of using social media, especially because playing around with it is the best way to get started. But you do need to be aware of things like where your audience spends their time and when they are online. Keeping these things in mind maximises the efficiency of your time on social media.
Remember to share links to content created by others.
Social media – member the social part of it. People aren’t interested in being sold to 24/7. A great way of doing this is to share links to content created by others. It doesn’t have to be a competitor of yours, but something that complements your business.
If you’re an Etsy seller who sells and maybe even custom makes hot water bottle covers you could share posts on topics like:
- Cold weather health tips
- New warming teas to try
- Environmentally friendly houses
Hang out with your community
The other part of social media is hanging out with your community. Ask them how their day was. Talk to them about what you can do to solve a problem for them. Share aspects of your life with them. Make your preferred social media channel a great place for them to be.
Keep in mind your profession
Some professions are highly regulated about what they can and cannot say in advertising and ethics. Make sure you are aware of restrictions and comply with all legal and ethical requirements. A good place to start is your regulating body.
Do you have a tip for small business owners who want to be on social media?
