Traditionally, when a small business would engage in a marketing campaign, its success would be measured by how much money it brought in. But this is not the case these days. Today’s new e-marketing world can be mastered in just a few easy steps. Here’s how:
1. Keep the benefits top of mind
If you can master this social media marketing stuff, there are benefits aplenty to be had, so let’s keep our eye on the ball. The main benefits are these:
Small business owners reported new partnerships (59%)
Small businesses were twice as likely to find qualified leads
48% of small business owners saw improved sales as a direct result of their social media marketing efforts
Small business owners (58%) were more likely than others to see reductions in marketing costs when using social media marketing
2. Beware the quicksand
One more tip before you get started: Be smart. Use your time wisely. Don’t fall for the social media trap. Indeed, the problem with social media is that on one hand, there is an ocean of possibilities, of people to meet, of places to discover and things to share and link and post.
And that is precisely the danger. One minute you are adding something to your Facebook page and two hours later you find yourself watching videos of cute kittens. So, the key is to be strategic. Have a plan and stick to it.
3. Pick a site
The first thing to do is to decide which social media platform offers the best chance of attracting your desired clientele. Roughly speaking, they can be broken down this way:
Facebook
Everyone is there, which is both good and bad. Lot’s of competition for eyeballs. But for a retail business, it can’t be beat. If you post great content, coupons, discounts, specials, have contests, and all in all make your page an interesting, fun, valuable destination, you will get Likes.
Twitter
Twitter is especially good for professionals and to establish themselves as a thought leader. You can also prospect by searching hashtags for relevant conversations and then meeting the people you want to know.
LinkedIn
Of course, the best site for networking.
Pinterest
If you have a business that lends itself to a visual representation (a market, or an interior design business, a florist, etc.), Pinterest is great for attracting customers.
YouTube
Many people don’t think of YouTube as a social media site but it is. Producing your own videos and getting a YouTube channel works for a lot of small business owner.
4. Engage
There are basically two ways to market your business via the site you pick. The first is to use it to meet new people, people you would not otherwise get the chance to meet. Second, you need to post great content yourself, such as:
Visuals: Publishing pictures on your Facebook page generates 50% more impressions.
Questions: Posting a question on Twitter, Facebook or a LinkedIn page generates almost two times as many comments.
Quotes: Quotations get an average of 54% more retweets than any other type of tweet.
