Loading...
0 view(s)
Small Business Social Media: Do’s & Don’ts
Social Media has become an important aspect of online marketing for small business and can greatly increase the trust a consumer feels towards a brand or company. Though measuring the effectiveness of Social Media can at times be difficult, Adam Stetzer, President and Co-Founder at HubStout and leading SEO reseller, recently described Social Media as “the yeast in the bread. It helps make the recipe work, but is not generally something you can taste directly.”
Having a Social Media presence with regular posts and company updates greatly increases your online presence and credibility in the eyes of the consumer. Have you ever checked the reviews or social media pages of companies while shopping for a product or service? Chances are you have and you’ve probably noticed some things they’ve done well…and maybe not so well. Here are some do’s and don’ts so you can get the most out of your Social Media marketing!
Social Media Do’s & Don’ts
- DO Update your company’s Social Media pages regularly. Posting at least once a day on all accounts will suffice in showing potential and current customers that your company stays on top of it!
- DON’T Post too often. Spamming your followers’ newsfeeds will likely increase your chances of getting unliked or unfollowed. Posting 1-2 updates daily on Facebook is ideal; Twitter, Instagram, and Google+ are a little more share-friendly so posting multiple times throughout the day is ideal.
- DO Search keywords and #hashtags on Twitter and Instagram to find new users and companies to follow. Search #iPhoneRepair on Instagram and you’ll find a thriving community of iPhone repair technicians and shop owners posting daily.
- DON’T Rely on traditional sales tactics here. Posts that are “too sales-y,” too selfish or pushy can be a turn-off to consumers. Social Media is a place to be social, not a salesman.
- DO Spend a little money on advertising through Facebook and Twitter. Allotting $5 a day to promote your posts is worth it in the long run for increasing online visibility – especially if followers, likes and interactions are important to your Social Media strategy.
- DON’T Rely on promoted posts and paid advertising through Facebook and Twitter. While putting money on your posts is an easy way to increase your overall reach, make sure the content is relevant and will contribute to your ROI. Basically, don’t waste $5 a day on posts that don’t relate back to your business.
- DO Start conversations! Ask questions! Get your fans and followers talking about themselves in a way that relates to your business. It increases your Social Media interactions all while increasing the consumer’s trust in your brand.
- DON’T Consistently ask questions or start discussions that have absolutely no relevancy to your business. Asking what your followers’ favorite color is will surely get some responses, but that alone adds no value to your business. Instead, a repair shop owner for example could post the question, “What’s your favorite color?” along with a photo of iPhone color conversion options or cases they have for sale and BAM! Instantly relevant.
- DO Understand your audience. In order to successfully offer quality content to your followers, you must know who they are, what they want, why they follow you, etc. The more you know about your audience, the better you can tailor your marketing strategy towards the goal.
- DON’T Post pictures from your personal life on your business page unless it directly relates to your business. You should also be careful of what you put on your personal social media profiles just in case it is in anyway linked back to your business. Better safe than sorry (and embarrassed).