Whether your business is already doing well or needs a boost, you should invest time in social media marketing. You will find that even the most popular brands, such as Starbucks, will still regularly update their social media platforms. It is, therefore, even more important for small businesses and startups to invest time and energy in social media marketing.
What is the Importance of Social Media?
Many business owners don’t use social media to promote their business, as they don’t see the benefit of it. They don’t think it is relevant to their business, or they may be successful enough without it. However, if you want to grow your business, social media is vital for several reasons. Firstly, social media helps you to improve your brand. If you post regularly on social media, people start to recognise your brand, which keeps in their heads for such time as they require your services. It also allows you to bring in business in a more passive way. Social media works away in the background; after you have scheduled your posts, you can take a hands-off approach to it – if you wish! It is also a free method of marketing. When you think of it this way, it seems silly not to use it. We will discuss how you can use social media to grow your business.
Understand Goals
The first step is understanding what you want to achieve from social media marketing. Do you want to grow your followers, or is it more about sales? When you are clear about what you want to achieve, it can make it easier to identify the best strategy.
Identify Audience
One of the crucial aspects of social media is knowing who you are selling to. If you are unsure, you may want to write down your typical customers and identify what category they fall under. There is no point in a scattergun approach, as this won’t enable you to create the right content. When you know your audience, you can create content they engage with. For instance, do you tend to get business from individuals, or is it businesses? What age demographic do they generally fall under? It may be that your audience is widespread, but it is good to have this information.
The Right Platforms
The social media platforms you choose to use will be in line with your target audience. You may use all social media platforms or only those used by your customer demographic. For instance, if you want to target a younger audience, you may wish to focus on TikTok and Instagram. However, if your audience is a little older, Facebook may be more appropriate. B2B services may prefer using LinkedIn as the platform of choice. It is important not to spread yourself too wide, as it might be difficult to keep up with too many platforms.
Creating Content
There is no point in posting content for the sake of it; it must serve a purpose. Your content should offer something to your target audience and evoke some emotion. For example, will it make them laugh? Will they feel more informed after reading it? Will it give them more information on what you do? It is important to constantly consider your audience and whether the content will provide any value.
Schedule Content
As mentioned previously, social media can be more passive than other forms of marketing. When you have created content, you can schedule it using a platform like HootSuite and let it do its stuff. However, it is important to keep up with any messages and comments so that you are engaging with your audience.
Many businesses don’t have the time to invest in social media and may not know where to start. At Made in Scotland, we can help grow your organic audience through our social media marketing services. You can contact us today to find out more!