Getting Started on Social Media
Most small business owners or startup entrepreneurs feel awkward as they start posting for their business. That’s ok. You do not have to have everything perfect starting out. You will learn over time how you best communicate and what best connects with your target audience. Fine-tuning your voice on social media will come with practice and focused effort.
These tips below are meant to encourage and guide you as you begin the process of fine-tuning your brand’s voice on social media.
- Have a direction – No one goes anywhere meaningful without first having an initial idea of where they want to go. You may take some wrong turns in reaching your goal, but at least you have a destination in mind. If you don’t have any idea of what you want to accomplish through your social media presence, then you will be throwing out random posts and hoping to do some good with it. Have a simple direction for your posts, and allow that direction to be shaped and changed over time as you gain experience and clarify what it is you really want to accomplish.
- Set realistic goals – Without a plan, you’re going nowhere. With unrealistic goals, you are headed for disappointment and frustration. The best way to succeed is a little at a time. Decide on one thing (or two) that you want to see happen through your social media engagement, such as a 10% boost in web traffic or a 15% increase in sales of a certain product this month. This gives you a way to hone your direction as you start to experiment with different types of posts.
- Be patient and genuine – It takes time to develop a real following on social media and a loyal customer base. It doesn’t happen overnight. To really leverage social media, you want to gain a following of people who are truly interested in what you’re offering and who follow you in order to stay updated on what you’re doing. This means taking time to create real content that speaks to your desired audience. And it means being clear about who you are, how you are serving your followers, and why they should care.
- Experiment – Your voice is unique, and so are your products, services, and target market. No one else knows how to reach your target market quite like you do. Get creative and try some different types of posts that you feel will be of interest to or will grab the attention of your target audience. Don’t try to be annoying with flashy graphics, but find out what they are interested in and think about how and why they would use your product or service. Get them interested. Make the content useful for them.
We hope this info helps you get started with your social media marketing plan. If you have questions or are in need of assistance, drop us a line. We’d be glad to help.