
Running a small business is equal parts fun and equal parts work. While it is rewarding, you should be prepared for several evenings in the office and a few sleepless nights. One of the key aspects of growing a small business is marketing. With what is probably a smaller budget in hand, it’s imperative that you have more hits than misses.
Of course, with so many marketing avenues to choose from, it can be difficult to choose a select few. Well, one of the best forms of marketing for small businesses is social media marketing. Not only does it offer a range of free marketing services, but in today’s digital age, it’s likely that most – if not all – of your clientele will be found online.
Here’s how you can grow your small business with social media:
- Embrace Employee-Generated Content
Your employees are the backbone of your business, so it makes sense to involve them with your social media content. Utilizing employee-generated content for your social media pages is a fantastic strategy. Not only does it showcase your company culture – helping attract more talent and also customers (people like buying from brands that seem like they’re having fun) – but it also takes some of the pressure off of content needing to be ‘perfect’.
Instead, the focus of employee-generated content is on showcasing the brand in a natural light. Remember, not all of your social media content should be product-focused. You should throw in content about your company culture, popular social media trends, and current pop events – all while incorporating the essence of your brand into these. Not only does this make your brand seem relatable and up-to-date, but being in sync with trends also helps your content go viral. As always, Instagram, TikTok, and even LinkedIn are great platforms for employee-generated content.
- Go Big on Customer Testimonials
Often an easily overlooked aspect of social media marketing, customer testimonials can be the very push that your small business needs to grow. Think about it, would you rather trust a sales rep or someone from your neighborhood about which product is the best? Most people would go with the latter for the simple reason that it’s real people recommending real products – instead of someone marketing it for a salary!
There are several ways that you can incorporate customer testimonials on your brand’s social media. Paid ads via Instagram are a particularly useful one as you can choose exactly which demographic you want to target. While both written and video testimonials are valuable, your preference should be for video as that adds a more personal touch. Remember to put forward your testimonials as naturally as possible, and to always get full consent before publicly publishing one.
- Utilize Influencer Partnerships
Whether you like it or not, influencers run social media. They play a key role in what social media users eat, buy, and even experience – and using influencers to grow your small business is basically a win-win. However, you can’t just pair up with any influencer out there, instead, you need to make sure that you choose personalities that resonate with your target audience.
The first step is to shortlist some influencers based on their niche and following. For instance, if you’re running a clothing business then you can pair up with fashion or lifestyle influencers. The second is to reach out to them with a partnership proposal that is based on mutual benefit. Some of the best platforms on which you can run influencer partnerships are Instagram and TikTok – you can ask the influencer to post Instagram reels, stories, or TikToks about your brand while offering an exclusive discount code for their followers. In return, you can offer them monetary compensation, free access to your brand’s services and products, or a commission for every sale made using their discount code.
- Nail your Content
All strategies aside, one of the best ways to grow your small business with social media is by absolutely nailing your content. The goal for any brand is to publish social media content that brings in high engagement all while perfectly showcasing their products. By record, it’s usually relatable, funny, or helpful content that garners the most views, likes, and comments. While the exact content that you choose to put out will vary according to your brand, trying to fit into these categories will help your content perform better.
You should also make sure to vary your content and try to find which one works best for your brand specifically. Play around with infographics, short-form videos, and even interactive stories. And the same goes with platforms, you can publish Instagram reels and YouTube videos full of interactive content that pinpoints areas of engagement.
As for the design aspect of putting all of your social media content together, you can have all of that easily covered with the help of PosterMyWall. An easy-to-use design platform, PosterMyWall has a wide range of small business templates that you can browse. And since the tools don’t require any previous experience, you can complete the design process on your own without hiring a professional – helping you save precious business funds.
So, if you’re looking to grow your small business with social media, then these tips and tricks are your go-to. Remember to switch up the content and platforms according to your audience, and your sales will soon go through the roof!
Keywords:
- Small business
- Social media
- grow/growth
- Promote