Becoming a social media maven doesn’t take an abundance of money or a being guru on various subject matter. It only takes a few basic things; most people tend to look over the importance of. More & more small businesses are launching daily, but they don’t comprehend how to use social media to benefit their business. Your audience is on social media waiting for you to connect. However, so many go about it completely wrong.
Private Accounts
Nope, private accounts are prohibited on social media for businesses. Your future customer shouldn’t have to request to be YOUR friend. You want THEIR money, not the other way around. When Instagram first got popular maybe two years ago, most people had their business accounts private. Some of them mixed business and personal, that was their reason to have it private. Make a separate personal page. For social media I have personal accounts and then all of my businesses have their own accounts.
Cohesive Brand
Honestly, I am confused by a lot of businesses. I don’t know who they are, why they are in business, or what they are trying to sell me. Get your page together! After someone looks three post into your page, especially on Instagram, they should be able to figure out what your business is. Establishing a mood board of who your brand is and its message is a great way to understand what your trying to achieve on each social media account.
Visual Imagery
Blurry photos and bad meme quotes you don’t attribute are HORRIBLE. Take the time to use styled photos or to create your own graphics. Stop taking photos from others and not attributing them! That’s not your photo, give credit. You didn’t say that quote, give credit. If I see a funny graphic quote like “no coffee, no workee” I won’t just screen shot it and then post it on mine. I will use Studio App or PicMonkey to make one. Even the small investment of purchasing styled stock photography is great for you.
Consistent
Posting six times in one day on social media, but gone for 3 weeks doesn’t work. This is one of the reason why your business does not have sales, people don’t follow or engage. Create a schedule for each platform and test them out. Use applications such as; coschedule, buffer, Hootsuite & more. When it comes to my blog post they are pushed out to platforms such as; Facebook & Google+ automatically. I try different content on each of these platforms. On Twitter remember its a constant conversation. Instagram I would suggest posting 2-3 times a day. Yes, its the hot platform, your audience is there.
Hashtags are your friend
Not spam! Nothing irks me more than to see 20 hashtags with no actual content! Just hashtags! Pick five to seven and go with them! I have mixed emotions with hashtags especially people will abuse them. I tend to use them off and on. If you’re just starting out find the popular ones for your business industry. Keep a ongoing list in your note section of your phone. A/B Test the hashtags and find the ones that work best for you. In addition to that, create your own that are specific to your company.
If you’re not going to be consistent you might as well throw in the towel. I won’t even say go work for someone else. Cause if you’re not willing to work hard for your business you are going to be a crappy employee too. Let’s just be honest. Becoming a social media maven for your small business is not going to happen overnight. Just keep going. My social media presence is growing more and more. It just takes work day in and day out.
