Social Media Tips to Boost Your Small Business

• Chose the right platforms. Try and position yourself where your customers and potential customers are most likely to be.
• Don’t stretch yourself too thin. As a small business, 2 social media platforms are a good place to start.
• Be responsive and helpful. Social media can be a strong customer service department.
• It’s a great way to offer advice and value to potential customers.
• Use your social media accounts to ask questions of your customers and be pro-active with the answers. Never be too proud to admit a mistake!
• Be passionate about what you do, what you sell or the services you offer. People will often buy into the ‘why?’ rather than the ‘what?’ of your business.
• Be a memorable and trustworthy brand with your own personality, perspective and opinions.
• Engage and interact with your local community and get involved with local issues.
• Think visual! People interact more with images and video than ever before.
• Create value in your field before expecting anything in return. Don’t go for the hard sell straight away and be prepared to nurture relationships.
• Be determined to stand out and be the best at what you do. Offer a unique proposition and over deliver on your promises.
• Share unique, useful and purposeful content. Identify and provide solutions for pain and pleasure points.
• Mix things up – all your customers will have different likes and dislikes.
• Be consistent with your voice and your message.
• Don’t be afraid to be transparent and reveal the ‘behind the curtain’ culture of your company and your people.
• Engage with other brands and influencers in your field. Mutually beneficial audiences and followers can lead to long and fruitful relationships.
• Remember to optimise for a mobile audience. Smartphone users love quick, snackable and sharable content.
• Don’t be afraid to automate your content if time restraints are too restrictive.
• Take the time to see what works and what doesn’t – remember the good stuff and don’t worry about the bad stuff.
• Attract and excite your audience with local contests, competitions and special offers.
• Link your online and offline promotions for a bigger overall impact.
• Concentrate on initial organic growth before spending money on advertising.
• Make yourself contactable in as many ways as possible from your social media accounts. (email, instant message, telephone, contact form, website)
• Link your accounts to your company website and vice versa.
• Always post with purpose and remember that quality beats quantity every time.

Final thoughts

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