Small businesses are beginning to realize the importance of having a social media presence in order to increase the exposure of their business. There are several different social media platforms and it is vital that small businesses participate in social media branding.
According to the Internet Advertising Bureau UK, nearly 80% of consumers would be more inclined to buy a product from a business based off of the businesses social media presence.
Social media is a great way to connect with your consumer base, relay important messages to them, and can in turn grow a business. New business can also be created by driving customers to your website through social media outlets.
Check out the following tips on how to grow your small businesses using social media.
- Create a social media strategy. Talk with employees and do research on what is relevant to your business. This will allow you to get a good idea of what to post every day.
- Use a program like Hootesuite to schedule all of your social media posts. This allows you to post to your social media outlets when you are not by a computer.
- Use Bitly to shorten your links and send customers back to your website. Every tweet or post should usually include a link.
- Anytime somebody favorites or retweets you on Twitter, you should follow them in order to grow your Twitter audience.
- Make sure that your contact information is consistent on each of your social media outlets to avoid any confusion.
- Try to include a picture with every post that you make. People are more likely to stop scrolling through their news feed and look at what you have to say if a picture is posted instead of just a regular status update.
- Make sure you “Like” other local businesses in your community and be social with them.
- Always respond to a tweet or comment from a customer in a timely matter.
- Be consistent with your posts and dedicate time to it every day.