Social Media and your Business – Let’s Review
Many more local businesses now have an online presence. This is progress. Social media when done well creates an opportunity to showcase your business to current and potential customers. Most customers are now simply hopping online and doing a search for your business to find out the information they need about your business. Businesses that are online are thought to be more competent and in touch than those that are not. You can simply start your social media journey with one social media platform, but to be consistent and relevant you must have a plan. If you are not online, or if you are not keeping your content updated, you are missing a crucial opportunity to connect with customers.
Below are some tips to get you back on track with your social media marketing:
1) If you are not yet online, do so. While getting started is not difficult, if you have time or other constraints consider outsourcing your social media marketing. Reach out to employees, friends or family or contact the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce for recommendations. When starting your page, put as much valuable content as possible on there so that new visitors to your page see immediate value.
2) If you are online, visit your page now to ensure your basic information is updated and correct. This includes things like your telephone number, email address, opening hours, appropriate profile picture and a summary of your product offerings. Make it easy for customers to connect with you.
3) Take note of the last time you posted and scroll through your page to get an idea of how often you post. A dormant social media page may be just as detrimental as not having a social media presence. Create a social media calendar which is basically a summary of what content (text, pictures, and video) you wish to post each week or month. This helps to ensure that your page is regularly updated.
4) It has never been easier to get great pictures. Invest in a good camera phone and spice up your page with beautiful images of your product. Draw creative inspiration for your photos from others who may have similar businesses around the world by visiting their Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook pages. Sign up for blog posts or podcasts which share social media tips. Have fun with it!
5) Video is king. Consider making short videos which highlight your business. It can simply be you talking for a minute about what you do. Make it entertaining. Have fun!
6) Engage, engage and engage. If visitors to your post send you a message or comment, or share your content, do respond as soon as possible and express your appreciation. This helps to build loyalty and trust and lets your customers know you care.
7) There are some local companies doing great work on social media. Look for ways to collaborate as you grow your brand and presence.
8) Let everyone know you are on social media. Include your social media links in your emails and in any traditional marketing you engage in.
9) Understand what social media success means for you. If you want to grow your followers, it is easy to track that. If you want to drive your followers to your website, there are tools to track this as well. Measure your social media success as this will help you to stay on track.
10) Be patient. Social Media growth will not happen overnight. Test your content to see what works and what doesn’t. Also know that it is better to have a smaller number of engaged followers than a huge number of followers who aren’t really your customers.
These are just some basic tips to get you back on track if you have lost focus. We wish you social media success in 2018 and beyond.
By Shellecia Brooks-Johnson
