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Quick Tip: Using Social Media to Boost Your Small Business

Not only can you advertise on social media platforms, particularly on Facebook, but you can also use them as a sort of free marketing tool. It is also a way to increase and firm up brand awareness, listen to your customers and improve their experiences.
But between all the platforms — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and more — how do you ensure you are carrying out the right methods across all social networks?
Kinetic Business by Windstream will take you through some how-tos of the most popular social media networks – like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest – to help your small business grow

1. Pick the Social Networks Your Customers Use Most

The good news is you don’t have to be adept at all social media platforms. But it would be wise to become experts in the platforms that your customers use the most. Take Keith Kochner, co-founder and CEO of Live Streaming Fitness in Tulsa, Okla. He did some informal research by asking fitness enthusiasts where they turn to for new workouts (Pinterest) and met his customers there.  

The first step here would be to identify your target audience.

2. Keep It Professional

Not everyone who engages with your company online will have nice things to say about it. If you have an urge to shut that down, don’t. Know that everyone has First Amendment rights to speak freely online, and the best thing you can do is to respond professionally, quickly and consistently.

3. Be Personable

Customers and potential leads respond better to social media posts that have a personalized touch. Establish a fitting voice for your small business, and use it consistently across platforms, including your website. Even if you’re taking a more conventional style, that doesn’t mean you have to seem completely robotic.

4. Develop a Strategy and Content Calendar

The tips above are a part of a social media strategy, which include getting to know your target audience, creating your messages and voice and choosing your platforms. Check out your competitors’ social media presence and figure out ways you can optimize it for your small business. The strategy should also include business objectives and matching measurable goals, along with a content calendar. The calendar should have what you’re planning to post, to where and when. And personalize the content to better target your audience. This will especially come in handy if you’re automating your strategy, such as using TweetDeck to schedule tweets.

5. Check the Stats

Did you know that most of the mainstream social media networks have built-in basic analytics? As an example, when you’re on your business’ Facebook page, the top menu bar should have a tab called “Insights.” If you click on it, you can see different statistics, such as pageviews, reach and engagement. If you’re looking for a more detailed review, try social interaction analytics. The numbers can tell you which of your posts works well with your audience.

6. Learn and Evolve

Like the business environment, social media is always changing. Be sure to keep up with the latest social media strategies and apply the ones that would best suit your business.

Remember these tips as you’re firming up your small business brand.
We’d like to help you succeed by augmenting the technologies that make your small business run smoothly. Kinetic Business by Windstream can help support your company with phone, high-speed internet and cloud-based services that are designed to meet the needs of the ever-changing business environment.
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