As a small business owner, posting daily on multiple social media platforms can be overwhelming.
Coming up with social media content may not be at the top of your list.
If you’re having trouble coming up with good social media content ideas, or if the content you are sharing isn’t reaching your target audience, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Here are 10 social media content ideas for your small business to help jumpstart your online presence.
Articles and blog posts.
If you have a company blog, share the articles to your social media feeds with direct links. You can even repurpose old blog posts and apply them to different platforms.
Photos of people in your company.
Photos are a great way to show company culture. Plus, visuals help customers relate in a way that text simply just can’t. Sharing behind-the-scenes content is a fantastic way to build your brand via social media.
Contests and giveaways.
Running contests on social media is ideal for raising brand awareness and attracting potential customers. These do require a prize (which usually isn’t free). But, if you’ve got enough time to promote them, these types of posts can do very well—especially if you’ve got a reasonably large audience.
Polls and surveys.
Polls and surveys are very popular. Why? People love to be asked their opinion! Plus, asking your followers questions is an easy way to get more users interacting with your pages. And many social media platforms make it easy to do now. We suggest trying to incorporate one poll a week into your feeds.
Think about how you can make these polls and surveys fun. Ask your followers to vote on an upcoming product feature, for example. Make the input feel meaningful.
Videos/Reels.
Social media loves videos. You don’t need to post lengthy videos; short clips are highly effective.
Instagram recently created Reels, which allow you to create 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools. Check out our Guide to Instagram Reels to learn how to create a reel on Instagram, and discover how to use Instagram Reels for your business.
Customer feedback.
One of the best social media features is interaction with customers. We are in a customer-centric economy, where customer opinion is held at the highest standard of value. When a customer says something nice about your business, showcase it!
Product announcement.
In today’s world, social media has become a source of influence on consumers and their buying behavior. If you have a new product on the horizon, announce it on various social media platforms to reach potential customers.
Product tutorial.
Tutorials often end up selling more stuff than straight promotions. Read that again.
Tips and tricks.
Be useful. Then be even more useful. Entire companies have been built on this premise.
Announce an event or award.
If you do any charity work, definitely mention it on social media. Include a photo, too. If you go to an event, take a photo and post it. Win an award? That’s definitely worth a post!
Unlock Your Creativity
Having a hard time creatively using social media to build your brand? We got you. At Social Creative, we help you stand out on social media and take your brand to the next level. Social media is our specialty; however, we are experienced in website design, Google My Business management, blog writing, graphic design, and launching new brands. Social media is just one part of the plan. We put it all together! Connect with us.
It’s no secret, 2020 changed the way people and businesses use social media. In fact, since the coronavirus pandemic, social media is arguably the most instrumental channel for businesses.
So, what’s in store for 2021 and how will we use social networks?
We researched social media trends for 2021 and here’s what you need to know.
Maximize the Benefits
As social media takes center stage in a post-pandemic marketing world, it needs to integrate seamlessly with your broader marketing strategy in order to maximize the benefits. In a social media world, businesses must be willing to re-evaluate their social media strategies at the drop of a hat to minimize risk and maximize the opportunity to connect with consumers.
So, how can you build upon this growing trend to better plan your social media marketing strategies for a post-pandemic future?
In 2021, social ads, social experiences, and platform selection will be key to driving Return on Investment (ROI) from new customers.
Social Ads
Social ads are a quick way to reach the audience you want. With social ads, you can target brand new customers or returning ones. However, it’s important to understand which social networks perform well organically for your brand. The targeting and reporting that comes with social ads ensure you deliver relevant content to the right people on social media.
The Pew Research Center recently outlined a snapshot of the preferred platform of different demographics. We encourage you to take a look at the data, as it could greatly help you in your advertising strategy.
Social Experiences
Social experiences help build relationships and brand loyalty. According to the Harvard Business Review, in the Special Edition of The CMO Survey, consumers indicated that a “trusting relationship” is most important to them in a brand (beating out low price, product quality, and even innovation).
Smart businesses will understand that being transparent, authentic, and even vulnerable is smart marketing in 2021. As we’ve mentioned before in our previous blog, people connect with people. This means you should personify your brand in a way that reveals who and what you stand for so that it is clear to your followers.
Get more faces out there, create more video, and talk about what is important to your brand.
Platform Selection
It is important to consider how the platform you choose impacts consumers’ perception of your brand. It is equally important to consider marketing budgets and how that will impact your social platform effectiveness.
With trimmed marketing budgets in 2021, the most effective social platforms will likely be Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest.
Social media trends for 2021 will have a massive impact on users and brands alike. If you haven’t adapted to these new trends, it’s time you think about doing so to leverage your brand on social media.
If you need help keeping up with the social media trends during 2021, give us a shout.
Specific goal-setting is an absolute must-do for marketers. If you don’t know what you want, how are you supposed to achieve it? This goes for anything in life.
Not sure where to start? You’re not alone. We’ve compiled some tips to setting and achieving your social media goals.
Writing down your goals is paramount if you want to reach them. According to Forbes, people who vividly describe or picture their goals by simply writing them on a piece of paper are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals. That’s a significant difference in goal achievement!
Begin with a Big-Picture Objective
It’s important to set goals that you can achieve. Setting a goal often starts with an idea of the “big picture” — the result you want to achieve. Plus, beginning with a big-picture objective makes the goal-setting process less intimidating.
Here are some examples for reference:
Small business: engage local followers and grow a greater community presence.
Startup: build awareness for a new product and generate leads for it.
Enterprise company: provide a timely customer service channel to boost customer loyalty.
With a big-picture objective in mind, you can start to break down your goals into smaller action steps that will directly inspire and affect your day-to-day social activities.
Set SMART Goals
Here’s where we get into the nitty-gritty.
Once you’ve gotten your big-picture goals figured out, it’s time to outline your SMART social media objectives.
The SMART approach has been around since the early 1980’s and it’s still a commonly used method today. SMART goals aren’t just labeled with this adjective because of their effectiveness — each letter corresponds with a different requirement of the goal itself. Not only is this an easy way to outline your aspirations, but it challenges you to think critically about why you’re making this goal, how you’ll do it, and when you’ll accomplish it.
So what does the SMART acronym stand for?
Specific: Your goals should be clear, simple, and defined.
Measurable: This is where analytics come in. You want a goal that has one or more metrics.
Achievable: Is it achievable, or is it not possible within your resources?
Realistic: With your current resources of time and money, is it possible to achieve your goals?
Time-bound: Every goal needs a timeframe, whether it’s one year or several months.
See how that works? This approach to goal-setting results in direct action that’s backed up by data.
Track Your Results Over Time
Whether or not you’re reaching your goals depends on your ability to monitor your data over time.
Are you generating more clicks and getting better engagement? Is your audience growing?
Whether the answer is “yes” or “no,” you’ll know for sure if your action plan is working. For our Social Creative clients, we use an automated reporting system called dashthis. The reports are straightforward and allow us to see what is working well and where we can improve. Monitoring your metrics is a must if you want to reach goals.
What are your social media goals? Let Social Creative help!
Goal-setting is the common trend between marketers who are successful on social media. From brand awareness to boosting revenue and beyond, we encourage marketers to set specific, achievable social media goals. With our help, you can reach those goals sooner rather than later!
Connection Builds Customer Relationships and Your Brand
Using social media to build customer relationships creates vast opportunities, including building brand loyalty and increasing your bottom line. Connecting with your audience is one of the keys to success when using social media. When consumers feel connected to brands, they are more likely to invest in that company.
How Connection Leads to Success on Social Media
Just like progress, not perfection, is the key to living your best life, connection is the key to success on social media. Here are five reasons why you should strive for connection instead of perfection to find your social media success:
CONNECTION ESTABLISHES A RELATIONSHIP.
Social media provides a platform for connection, and connection establishes a relationship.
Tell your story, be real, get people to connect with you. Once they feel they know, like, and trust you, they’re more inclined to follow you and believe in your brand. Followers who believe in your brand = SUCCESS!
PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE.
Connection is made when people buy into what you do and why you do it.
Ask yourself this: How are you improving people’s LIVES through your business?
As a business, it’s important to really speak to our clients’ hearts – their hopes, fears, and dreams. It’s also important to be honest and really lay out on the table why you do what you do. By doing that, you allow your audience to relate and create the connection point you need to get them on board with your business and your brand.
TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
You must be actively engaged and socialize with others to grow your audience. Connection is key! If your followers comment on your posts, start a conversation in the thread. Reach out on their posts as well to share your thoughts and start building that initial relationship.
Write helpful blog posts and share them on social media. This directs your followers to your website, where they can find your contact information and newsletter sign up form.
Encourage your followers to sign up to your email newsletter or join your private Facebook group. You can offer an incentive for doing so!
BUILD A LOYAL TRIBE.
Social media is flooded with new businesses every single day who are all trying to find their audience and be heard. Don’t let yourself get sucked into the comparison game. Instead, celebrate the success of others and embrace your uniqueness.
EXPAND YOUR NETWORK AND INFLUENCE.
When you build your tribe, you’re essentially expanding your network. Not only can you create brand ambassadors, you are creating influencers who will help sell your products or services.
Let Your Inner Perfectionist Go
Business is not solely about spreading information about what you’re selling exclusively. You should seek to share a little of yourself with your audience every day because, after all, we’re all human. And humans crave connection, not perfection.
Just because you’re a small business doesn’t mean you can’t rock Facebook.
As consumers increasingly rely on social media, it’s no surprise that if you’re a business owner, you already are or thinking about being on social media. The questions you’re probably asking are, “Can I manage this on my own? How much time will this take? What should I post?”
Another concern could be cost – and you have to determine if the return on investment is worth it. We say, yes, for sure. Remember, not all business budgets are created equal. When you’re on a tight budget, it’s even more critical to plan, plan, plan.
Strategies that Work (TRUST US)
1. Use a Content Calendar. Plan your work, work your plan.
2. Optimize Your Page. Improve the audience’s ability to find your page.
3. Create a Facebook Group. Not for promotional purposes, but to allow for an exchange of information related to your business.
4. Daily Facebook Story Posts. Engage with your audience–this usually equates to a higher number of clicks on your profile.
5. Interact With Your Customers. Let your customers know they matter by communicating with them online.
6. Post With a (Small) Budget. Add a paid budget, even a small one, to ensure that content gets in front of your valuable customers and prospects. Make sure you target the right people.
Social media doesn’t have to be scary. It is a fantastic tool that allows you to connect with customers like never before. If you’re already on Facebook, always look for ways to engage with your followers creatively. If you aren’t yet using it like you want to, what is holding you back?
Recent Comments