Harness the Power of These Marketing Strategies for Small Business to Engage with Your Audience
There’s no denying the impact that social media marketing can have on small businesses. Brands can go viral overnight and store shelves get cleared out in an instant, making it one of the most effective marketing strategies for small businesses.
However, with a plethora of different social platforms, algorithms, and the constantly changing landscape, it can be hard to keep up. Small business owners can feel a little more confident about social media with these ten tips.
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Only post relevant content on social media.
Let’s start with an exercise. Picture yourself, scrolling on your favorite social platform. Which post would most likely make you stop scrolling: a post about a product you’ve never heard of, or a funny post related to the show you just watched on TV?Much like your own social media usage, your audience wants relevant content. Showcasing products and services on social media is a great way to let customers know what you do, but it must be presented in a way that users find relevant.
In order to get users to pay attention, creating posts that address your audience’s pain points will be more successful for your small business.
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Post consistently.
Successful social media content is just as consistent as it is relevant. As the audience begins to receive quality content that addresses their pain points, they start relying on the business’s knowledge as an industry leader.Changing post frequency has the danger of changing the audience’s expectation. If the audience believes they’ll get content five times a week, and they start to see a decrease in that amount, they’ll start to change their perception of your business.As a social media marketing agency, iFocus Marketing suggests posting at least three times per week and increasing that amount based on your business’s growth goals. The “correct” number of posts will depend on your platform, goals, and the type of content your business produces.
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Use social media platforms wisely and fully.
Unique audiences can be found on each social media platform. After identifying where your target audience likes to spend their time, it’s easier for your business to join the conversation. Typical users on each platform are very different.Each social media platform has features for users to interact with their community. For instance, a typical Instagram user may spend time scrolling on their Instagram Feed, then through Instagram Reels and finally Instagram Stories before exiting the app.If you’ve created content for each feature, along the way, that user may see content from your small business multiple times. Exploring all of the features each platform has to offer helps small businesses capture the attention of new audiences and entertain.
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Don’t promote; educate instead.
Everyone knows the feeling of a car salesman approaching you on the lot or passing a vendor in a mall that’s trying to sell fragrance.If every post from your business is a promotion, users will start to get that feeling and maybe even unfollow. Instead of promoting with every post, educate and engage your audience with relevant content.Teaching them how your product fixes a problem they may be dealing with and providing further knowledge of your industry is much more interesting and engaging than scrolling past a sales post.
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Talk to your followers.
One of the most powerful strategies to grow your social media presence is to listen and engage with customers. Connecting with others is the heart of social media. When you can’t communicate in person, social media is one of the best ways to talk with your customers.Most platforms have direct messaging features that allow one-on-one chats with customers in real time. Although they aren’t great to see, even negative comments and reviews provide an opportunity to mend a relationship with a current customer.
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Influencers can increase your ROI.
With the decline in organic social reach and throughout the pandemic, businesses have been leaning on influencers to help reach their customers at home. Influencers captivate their niche audiences and encourage them to buy the products they recommend.An astounding 86 percent of customers seek out authentic user-generated content before deciding to purchase a product they’ve never tried before. Six in ten YouTube subscribers would follow advice on what to buy from their favorite creator’s video. Micro-influencers on average have a 3.86 percent engagement rate on Instagram, and businesses are making $5.20 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing.
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Make a video to share on social media.
Video is a major digital trend that gives content an extra boost. Especially through the rise of apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels, users are viewing more video now than ever before. In fact, 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service, according to a Wyzowl survey.Videos can tell an engaging story that drives customers to act. Product tutorials, company history, and customer review videos drive engagement, and get shared to friends and family This keeps your company top of mind when customers are buying.Whether they’re used organically or for paid social ads, engaging videos can make your users stop scrolling.
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Expand your reach with paid social ads and social media advertising.
The competition for organic social attention is at an all-time high. Over the past few years, organic reach has decreased as more businesses take to social media platforms. According to Hootsuite, the average reach of a Facebook post is just around 5 percent, leaving 95 percent of the audience without seeing the content.To increase the reach of your content, most platforms offer paid social ads with targeting capabilities. Using paid social ads allows you to get your message in front of your target audience.YouTube ads give small businesses the ability to compete with national brands to a wide audience through Discovery ads. According to a Google study, 90 percent of shoppers have discovered brands and products on YouTube.Facebook advertising is a great solution for most small businesses because of the variety of campaign objectives, large audience, and ability to run Instagram ads. Social ads on Facebook and Instagram can appear in a user’s feed as they are already viewing content, and lead users to your profile, shop page, or website.
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Use the right tools to make it easier.
Social media is always changing, and keeping up can be hard while you juggle all the other duties of a small business owner.Luckily, there are several tools to use that make posting and tracking easier. Free tools, like Facebook’s Creator Platform, let users schedule posts and stories to Facebook and Instagram so they always go out at the perfect time.Business profiles also come with free analytics. Uncovering analytics inside the platform shows what content is performing best, along with audience demographics, and more. Studying – and most importantly, understanding – these analytics guide your future small business marketing strategy.
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Don’t post without a marketing strategy for small business.
Going viral on social media isn’t easy. While it can happen, most of the time, one post won’t gain you hundreds of followers. Especially with the increase in social usage over the past few years, it’s generally harder to grow a social following.What sets struggling social media accounts from successful ones is a strategy. Your business’s social strategy is the key to communicating your message, engaging your audience and growing a following.
The social media experts in our digital marketing agency can develop a strategy for small businesses owners. Let our team help you home in on your ideal content and run targeted ads to help find new customers.
iFocus Marketing Offers Digital Marketing Near You – from Anywhere in the Country
Although we’re an ad agency in Overland Park, iFocus Marketing helps small, medium, and large businesses all over the nation get in front of their target audiences and grow their revenue.
Our marketing roadmap for your business is completely customized, and we get to know you and your company so you’re putting your most authentic self out there to your potential clients and customers.
Request a free discovery call today to learn how you can use social media (and paid search and search engine optimization, and more!) to build your brand.
