Social Media Platform Tips for Small Businesses
Social media is an important tool for small business owners. Nearly everyone is on at least one social media platform, so it is very easy for businesses to connect with their target audience. However, not all social media platforms are created equally and it is important to know their key features before deciding to use them. It is far more important for a small business to use just a few platforms that better suit their needs rather than trying to have a presence on all of them. These platforms are meant to create engagement amongst users, so just having a presence is not going to be enough. Here are some key things to know about the most popular social platforms:
Twitter is an excellent platform to use to connect with your customers, community, and other professionals in your industry. It is important to keep your tweets short and add photos and videos to catch your reader’s eye. Twitter only allows you to type a maximum of 140 characters, so don’t try to reach that count every time. Twitter is known for making the hashtag famous. Remember to only use industry related hashtags and stick to key words only not phrases. Do not go hashtag crazy, because tweets with two hashtags have more engagement than those that don’t.
Google+
Utilizing a Google+ business page is a great way to boost your business in search results. Google+ also ties into Google Adwords and Youtube. Hashtags also work great on this platform so use only industry related hashtags. It is important to be posting regularly and consistently. Google+ is also a great place to build communities with other people in your industry and customers.
Facebook is a great tool especially for local businesses to connect with customers. Make sure you are posting regularly and engaging with your followers by responding quickly to them. It is important to post a mixture of relevant content including photos, videos and news articles. Always acknowledge comments even if it is with a simple ‘like’, and always response to negative comments in a professional manner to de-escalate the situation. Facebook is also a great platform businesses to run targeted ads to their ideal target audiences.
Pinterest is a great platform where you are able to create boards with similar content. You can pin important information from your website, blog, or e-commerce store. Pinterest Business accounts also allow you to track analytics on your followers and pins. If you are a business that sells products, Pinterest is a great platform because you can create “buyable pins” that link to the item in your e-commerce store. Pinterest is a very popular platform and many people often find themselves down the bunny hole, but it is important to only pin relevant content to your business and industry.
Instagram is a great way to showcase your business through visually appealing photos and videos. It is important to post regularly and consistently so your followers know when to expect content from you. Engaging on Instagram is also very important to grow your following, and it is a great way to increase your exposure to land you on the ‘Explore’ page. Stories are another feature that allows for you to share content for only 24 hours. To learn more in depth on how to gain more exposure for your business on Instagram, read our blog post here.
Not all social media platforms are created equally, and it is okay for your business to not be on all of them. If your small business needs assistance with getting started on a platform or maintaining their social media presence contact us at info@kapokmarketing.com or (727) 214-5844.