Social Media Advice From the Pros
Though social media has been a prominent fixture in the world of business for nearly two decades, business owners and decision-makers are still far too often in the dark on some of what social media has to offer. With platforms constantly changing their interfaces, it’s understandable that nobody can know everything about social media – but it sure won’t hurt to try!
In today’s article, we’ll address some of the most frequently asked questions about social media and provide you with crucial answers that can benefit your business!
Why should my business be on social media?
Social media represents a great, low-cost opportunity for your business to connect with your customers, fans, and potential employees. It’s estimated that more than 70% of Americans use social media on a regular basis, making it extremely likely that your target audience is already well represented on these platforms.
By simply creating and uploading content consistently, you can gain free impressions, reach, and brand awareness for your business! Think of your social media pages like a billboard – every time someone sees your content, the chance that they will buy your products or services increases! Best of all, social media is FREE. It costs nothing to create and spruce up an account, so why not take advantage of it?
Which platforms should my business use?
We get this question a lot, especially since there are so many platforms available for use. From Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and others, it’s important to consider which platforms you want to be represented on.
Start by asking yourself who your target audience is. Each platform has a different audience with different attributes, so after you determine who you’re trying to reach, it becomes much easier to pick the platforms that make the most sense for your business. For instance, if you want to reach business professionals at work, try LinkedIn! If you’re going for a younger audience, it may be better to use Instagram or TikTok.
How often and what type of content should I post?
Especially for businesses, consistency on social media is key. After all, who’s going to follow your pages and interact with your content if you post sporadically or infrequently? It’s important to maintain a regular presence on social media, no matter what business you’re in.
Oftentimes, we suggest posting at least a couple of times per week. Ideally, businesses should maintain a balance in their posts so that posts, replies, and comments are kept up with frequently, but not so frequently that followers are overloaded with content.
As far as deciding what kind of content to use, think about your audience again; what kind of content are they most interested in seeing? Tell people about the things going on in your business that matter, and tout the products and services you’re most interested in selling! Social media gives businesses a great way to seem authentic and genuine, so just be yourself!
Should I use paid advertising on social media?
While it may seem a little overwhelming at first, running ads on social media can be a great way to reach highly targeted audiences, even with a limited budget. Unlike putting up a billboard or putting an ad in print media, social media allows businesses to select the audiences and demographics they’d like to target with their ad money, making the most of every single cent.
Social media ads also have great reporting and metric-measuring capabilities, giving you real-time results for your campaigns! It’s easy to tell how many people saw your ad, clicked on your ad, left comments, or otherwise engaged with your account. For those looking to easily tie results to ad spend, social media ads might be for you!
There’s never a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to social media. Every single business and situation is different, and there’s as many ways to create engaging content as there are businesses online! However, the answers featured in this article are some of the most important things to keep in mind when starting and building your social media presence.
Unlike some forms of marketing, social media allows businesses to reach their audiences at little cost with a high degree of targeted marketing. We know that we can’t answer ALL of your questions here, so if you’ve got more, reach out to us! We’d love to answer your questions and put you on the path to social media success.
