Social media for small business owners
- Don’t make it personal
- Be professional at all times
- Share a lot but with caution
- Share user-generated content
- Plan your content ahead
Social media guide for beginners
You’ve set up your Facebook account and you’re running your page. You’re off to a good start garnering some Likes and Followers. You want to keep going and continue the momentum. But now what? What exactly should you share? What topics do you need to cover? What can’t you talk about?
Being on social media representing your small business can be quite daunting especially with little experience in these platforms. In this post, we will discuss important tips that beginners should keep in mind when maintaining social media channels.
Don’t make it personal
Yes it is often hard not to make things personal especially since you’re talking about your business. But it won’t do your small business any good if you make everything personal. First of all, be professional at all times when responding to comments – especially the negative ones. This will always happen because it is impossible to please everyone. But stick to professional comments when responding. This goes for what you post on your social media platforms as well. Separate your small business stories from your personal life stories. Personal stories go into your private social media account while business posts go in your business page.
Share a lot but with caution
As a small business, you should follow several Facebook pages related to your industry. Not only will you find new information that could help your business, you also have fresh content for your own page. Be nice and share because sharing is caring. This is very true for social media. But only share information and links that are related to your business. Share articles that your customers will find useful. Or maybe ones that will give them an insight about your industry. Be careful with the links you share though because there are a lot of fake news out there. So share but ensure that you’re following legitimate pages and websites. Also, sharing user-generated content (USC) is another good way to encourage engagement with your followers. Search your tags and hashtags every now and then and share your USCs.
Preparation is key
Don’t get caught grappling for content and posts each day. One way to do this is to plan ahead of time and create a content calendar. Come up with themes and topics for certain days. For instance, maybe do an inspiration post one day a week by posting quotes in a beautiful layout. Or post short useful information that you think your audience will like. You can do a weekly plan or even a monthly one. That way you always have something to post. It doesn’t mean you have to post everyday. Pick certain days that you know your audience will be there. There is no point posting when no one is around.
Do you need help with your social media presence? Contact us for a free consult!
Melissa Gassman has over 15 years FMCG consumer marketing experience gained at both local (Australia and UK) and international level, managing iconic brands such as Mortein, Mr Sheen, Airwick, Smarties and Kleenex Cottonelle. She has complemented her more traditional marketing experience with specialist digital marketing roles. Melissa leverages her solid marketing experience and digital expertise to create social media strategies and campaigns for brand teams, businesses and PR agencies.
