3 Steps to Killing Social Media as a Small Business Owner

Social media has changed the way that people communicate…FOREVER. As of 2017, 81% of adults living in the U.S. actively use some form of social media. As a small business owner, most if not all of your customers are adults. Facebook has a couple billion active users; Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and SnapChat have hundreds of millions of active users. It’s for certain your customers are using these platforms. If they are on social media – that’s where you should be too. How you use social media as an individual is very different than how you use it as a business owner. If you aren’t sure how to navigate social media to grow your business, here are 3 steps to killing social media as a small business owner.

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Step 1: Start.

If you become aware of a social media platform that is buzzing, take the simple step of just starting an account. This way, you can secure your business’ name before someone else does. Ensure that all of the information you can fill out is filled out and keep any profile pictures/cover art consistent. Go ahead and start following accounts of similar businesses and connecting with potential and existing customers. Create your first post/status update to introduce yourself and your business. Then let your customers know that they can follow you on that social media platform.

Step 2: Study.

Before you start actively posting, study other businesses and how they use that platform. You can always start with the industry ‘big dogs’ like Target, Walmart, etc, but also check out other small businesses. Look at those in your industry/niche, and even those that are not – you never know what they are doing that might inspire you. Learn how people engage on that platform and what type of content creates the most engagement. Even if you’ve been on a social media platform for a while, always take time to study what’s working on that platform because they are always changing to adapt to what their users want.

Step 3: Strategize.

Most small business owners get frustrated with social media because they fail to strategize. Come up with a strategy for how you will use a particular social media platform. Since each platform is different, the same strategy won’t necessarily work for all of them. Really think about and plan the content you plan to share. As a small business owner, you don’t want to just focus on selling your product or service. You want to connect with your customers, and provide them with value and inspiration. Figure out how you will use social media to get to know your customer, and how they can get to know, like and trust you. That way, you can make ample time to create engaging content to share on social media without getting overwhelmed.

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Running a small business is no small feat. It takes a lot of time and energy, and thinking about social media can seem like a waste of time. But social media can be a great asset to your business by connecting you with your ideal customers. If you follow these 3 steps, you can really kill it on social media as a small business owner.

What is your biggest struggle with social media as a small business owner? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!