Social Media & Your Business: The do’s and don’ts
It is safe to say that every small business owner is feeling the power that social media can have. But do you know how to leverage it to the best of your ability? With the average social media user spending 2 hours and 22 minutes a DAY on there Socials (Oberlo), your business could be making big moves to capture your target social audience daily. Here are a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to building your social media presence.
DO - Research your audience
Okay most of us tend to use 2 or 3 platforms for personal use, but that doesn’t mean you need the same for your business. You need to research where your audience hanging out the most online. If you are targeting boomers, they tend to be found on Facebook or YouTube, where as Gen-Z are often found on Instagram and even Tiktok. However don’t take this as gospel. It is a base point to go from, and it really depends on what your target customers are into, what you are offering them, and what your ideal customer persona looks like (I’ll be discussing this in detail in another blog!). Once you have a clear picture of where your audience are, you can narrow down what platforms you want to focus on.
DO - Post Consistently and at Variable Times
I cannot stress this enough but PLEASE do not post all your content at the same time on your platforms. Why? Not all platforms will give you the best reach, engagement and ROI if you post all at the same time and same day! Again this takes a bit of time and playing around to understand your customer base, but utlising the insights tools that each platform comes with will allow you to do this. Look at when they are mostly active, when your audience engage the most, what content they like and you can get an idea on when to post and how regularly too. Consistency is key in getting a ROI in the long run.
DO - experiment with content!
This ties in with my previous point but it is a great way to see what content stands out to your audience. Mixing it up with polls, questions, tips, sales, offers, and so on will help create the bigger picture and answer the question:
What attracts the attention of my audience?
Make sure when you are creating your content you mix it up in style - so using video, music and photo content. We all know video content tends to do better across the board, but making sure you have a mix is the best way to keep your audience coming back for more.
DO - engage with businesses and customers alike
So you know your audience. You know what content to create. But not much else is happening? This is where your engagement comes in. Taking out 20 minutes a day will increase your engagement and growth big time. For example, if you use Instagram, providing you have done some hashtag research, engage with at least 10 of these hashtags on at least 5 accounts. By that I mean comment, give value, reshare and follow. Trust me you will see something magically happen on your account. Make sure it is a mix of your target audience and competitors as this will also help you network too (2 birds with one stone as they say!).
If you receive comments reply to them. If someone DM’s you, respond to them, if someone share your product or a purchase they have made form you, reshare with a thank you. Responding to every time someone engages with your socials increases your profile profitability in terms of growth and sales. So get chatting!
DONT - go on a boost spree!
The amount of time I here business owners say “Well I will just boost this post to reach more people”. This is a mega face palm. Boosting random posts doesn’t mean more sales, it doesn’t mean a bigger growth but it does mean wasting money, and that is something I don’t like to do! A successful boosted post needs to have a goal and a maximised target audience, so please don’t go around boosting every post you do.
DONT - be on every platform
I covered this a little earlier on, but make sure you are on the relevant platforms to your business and audience. You might see one brand doing fantastic on Tiktok, but it doesn’t mean you will. Experiment, research and narrow down where you and your brand are best suited, and focus on growing them before venturing to more and more platforms.
DONT - Let socials consume you
It is easy to get wrapped up in the world of social media. Before you know it you are spending working hours planning socials, to spending your evening on your own. This is not healthy both for yourself and your business. Take time away from your social media to recharge your mind and focus on other tasks/hobbies.
Want some support with your social media marketing?
It can get overwhelming when it comes to building your social media presence, and this is why I offer great support packages to help you build a stronger network and a better ROI. Pop me a message at theaestheticroots@gmail.com today to learn more on how I can make your socials stand out!
