It is no secret that the advent of social media has radically changed the approach to small business. Now more than ever before, it is possible to advertise your brand name on a larger platform. But building these platforms for marketing outreach can prove tricky as social media itself is updated every day and tactics for SEO morph along with it.
For the small business owner or marketing team that is trying to catch up with advances in social media strategies, here are 6 steps to effectively using social media for your company.
1. Are You LinkedIn?
More and more businesses are becoming familiar with LinkedIn which just celebrated its tenth anniversary in May 2013. LinkedIn is perhaps the most professional or business oriented of current social media sites.
There are important ways to optimize your LinkedIn Profile to expand your opportunities. The most basic but often overlooked step is ensuring that your profile is completely filled out. It might feel unnecessary to include so much information, but the website utilizes a search algorithm whose first requirement is a 100% completed profile. This can transfer to Google because Google loves completed LinkedIn Profiles.
2. Create an App
A recent article from Forbes magazine reported that more than 50% of all adult Americans own smartphones. This opens up a huge window for catching mobile device users’ attention by providing an app for your company. Fortunately, there are professions who will help you with mobile application development. Taking advantage of the app craze is a good way to establish your presence as a company as well as increase your business.
3. Blog About Business
Another god way to establish yourself as a small business is to manage a blog. Blogs are a good way to attract people who are already online searching for the kinds of services and products that you are trying to sell.
Effective blogging happens when you disseminate excellent articles that will catch interest while convincing people that you are an authority they can trust. If you are a heating and air company, blog about ways to beat the summer heat wave. If you are a small accounting firm, then post about 5 easy steps to preparing for tax time.
4. Facebook
One of the most predominant social media sites today is undoubtedly Facebook. Facebook allows business to connect with their clients and potential customers while creating brand awareness, building a community, educating and generating website traffic. Some important questions to ask in setting up your page include:
•Who is the target?
•How can we most effectively use the space?
•Is our cover photo talking for us?
Once you have created the page, make sure to be active on it. Post regularly so that you appear in your networks’ feeds. This is an excellent way to keep your community informed about upcoming events and other company news or promotions.
Facebook can reap great success for small businesses. A small ice cream shop in El Cajon, CA, The Yogurt Mill posts its flavors of the day each and every day. This way, customers can see when their favorites are available. It also entices people who happened to see it to drive down to try the new Root beer float flavor.
Image from www.sipepdesign.com