A decade or so ago, the concept of using social media as a marketing technique was unheard of. Interestingly in today’s world, if your organization, company, institution, or any form of business isn’t available in the online space then you’re bound to miss out on growth, especially as a brand. The increase of techniques being applied today such as influencer marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, SEO, affiliate marketing, and email marketing have significantly helped small businesses to grow, and generate leads.

According to Datareportal, more than 4.2 billion active social media users are already worldwide; this is a very important reason small businesses need social media because your target audiences use these platforms. Sociallybuzz breaks down stats further and indicates that 78% of consumers are willing to purchase from a business after a positive encounter with them on social media, 68% say that social media allows them to interact with businesses, 55% first discover new businesses on social media, and 43% increased their social media use to learn about new products during the lockdown.

As a start-up, you need social media for:

1. Brand Awareness: Identify which social media platforms your target audience uses the most then maintain a consistent look, feel, and messaging across all social profiles. The content you share ought to be engaging and valuable content whilst engaging with your audience.

2. Increasing Website Traffic: Regularly post links to your website such as blog posts and product pages. You can also make use of paid ads to direct traffic to specific landing pages.

3. Selling Products and Services: In the bid to create a seamless shopping experience, you can implement shopping tags or links on platforms that support e-commerce, as well as run promotions and discounts to attract customers. Announce special offers to your followers.

4. Communication: Always strive to respond promptly to DMs and comments and encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products/services, even if the feedback is negative. You can also make use of live streaming, where you use live video for Q&A sessions, product demos, or behind-the-scenes content.

5. Tracking Insights: Most social media platforms provide in-built analytics to track metrics like engagement, reach, and click-through rates. Consider using third-party tools like Google Analytics or Hootsuite for more in-depth insights. While at that, define clear goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for your social media efforts and do Regular reporting to assess performance and adjust your strategy as needed.

Conclusion

Remember, it’s crucial to adapt your social media strategy to your specific business and audience. Regularly analyze your results and make adjustments based on what works best for your small business. Additionally, staying up to date with the latest trends and changes in social media algorithms is essential for success in this dynamic digital landscape. Schedule a free consultation with us today to kick-start your online presence!