Social media can be a learning curve for entrepreneurs and small business owners. In the business world, running social media is a job in itself. However, for many small businesses, a social media manager is not in the budget, at least not on day one.
Here are a few tips for running social media on your own.
1. Create a brand guide.
Not sure what a brand guide is? This is as simple as picking colors, fonts, and symbols to represent your business. Following a brand guide makes your business more recognizable to the public. They’ll know it’s your posts without having to even look at the profile name!
Need a bit more help? Use the app, Canva, to set up your brand guide and make a visual identity for your business.
2. Stick with your aesthetic.
This one sounds complicated, but trust me, it just takes a little control, and you can have this one handled.
Pick a type of photo and what you want to feature, and stick with it! Want to keep everything in black and white? Or do you want vibrant colors in every post? Just be sure you keep a consistent style, so your profile looks uniform and visually pleasing.
And remember, no personal posts on the business page. Share only what your customers want to see!
3. Network in your niche.
Don’t be afraid to follow and engage with other people and businesses in your industry. It is essential to stay up to date on what kind of posts are trending and doing well, while staying plugged into your professional community.
4. Be consistent.
To grow your social media, you must utilize it. I recommend to my clients to set up a posting schedule. Whether once a week or daily, devise a plan and stick to it.
Make sure your audience has constant relevant content to view. In most cases, the sweet spot is three posts a week. The best times to post will vary, based on your target audience.
5. Be patient.
Social media success doesn’t happen overnight. Keep going and trust the process. It may seem like the progress isn’t there, but every post is a step toward creating a successful and relevant social media presence.
Time for Action
Now that you’ve seen the five steps for mastering social media, go out there and give it a try!
The social channels you use will depend on who you are reaching out to for your business, but social media marketing can benefit every industry.
For more information, contact an ASBTDC consultant to help create a marketing strategy just for you!
Further reading:
blog.hubspot.com/marketing/consumers-favorite-social-channels
