Social Media for Small Business: What You Need to Know

Updated: December 4, 2022
mobile phone social media

Small businesses have a unique opportunity when it comes to social media marketing. Not only are they able to connect with customers in a more personal way, but they can also target a specific audience.

In this blog post, we will talk about the benefits and pitfalls of social media for small business as well as outline which social platforms are best for various business niches. We’ll go over how to create a social media marketing strategy, and whether you should hire a social media manager. Finally, we’ll go over paid and free tools that can benefit your social media presence and make social media marketing easier.

What are the benefits of using social media for business?

There are many benefits when it comes to using social media for small business purposes. First and foremost, social media provides businesses with a direct way to reach their target audience. This is especially beneficial for small businesses that may not have the budget for traditional marketing methods such as television or print ads.

Additionally, having a social media presence allow businesses to interact with their customers in a more personal way. This can help build brand loyalty and trust between the business and its customer base.

Finally, social media can be extremely effective for lead generation and sales, both organically and paid.

Benefits of social media for small businesses:

  • Can build brand awareness and convey brand values
  • Can use social media networks to generate leads
  • More traffic and new customers to your website
  • Greater engagement with your target audience
  • Improved search engine ranking
  • Better customer insight
  • Provides a great platform for promotion

What are some common pitfalls of social media marketing?

There are a few common pitfalls small business owners should be aware of when using social media for marketing purposes. First, it is important to remember that social media requires an ongoing effort —you can’t simply create a profile on a social media site and then forget about it. Businesses need to be active on their social media platforms, posting content regularly.

Additionally, businesses need to be careful their social media presence isn’t all about promoting their products or services. Customers on social media are looking for information and interaction, not constant sales pitches.

Finally, businesses need to be aware of the potential negative impact of social media. If customers have a bad experience with your product or service, they can quickly spread the word online – which can reputation management difficult.

Which social media platforms are best for your business?

The social platforms that are best for your business will depend on many factors, including your target audience, the type of product or service you offer, and your budget.

For example, if you are a small business that sells products directly to consumers, then a visual platform such as Facebook and Instagram will be beneficial, as they allow you to showcase your products and post direct links to purchase them.

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If you are a business-to-business company, then LinkedIn may be a better social platform, as it allows you to connect with other businesses in your industry.

Finally, if you are looking to create video content, then YouTube is a great platform choice.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to be on every social media platform. Social media platforms provide a way to connect meaningfully with your audience. It is better to focus your efforts on a few platforms, or even one effective platform that allows you to do this well than try to spread your attention across many social platforms.

Shown below are the social media platforms I use, but FaceBook, LinkedIn and YouTube are my primary social platforms for business:

When used correctly, social media can be a powerful tool for promoting your small business. Just remember to focus your efforts on a few key platforms and post high-quality content regularly.

What type of content should you post on social media?

The type of content you post will depend on the social media platform you are using and your overall marketing goals. However, here are some ideas:

  • Create engaging and visually appealing images of your product(s)
  • Share informative blog posts or articles about your expertise
  • Post links to your useful information on your website
  • Host giveaways or contests
  • Create video content
  • Create an infographic of interesting facts about your business or niche

High-quality content is more likely to be shared, increasing your reach and helping you to build a more engaged and loyal following. So, next time you sit down to compose a social media update, remember that quality trumps quantity every time. Also, unless you’re on Twitter, posting images is typically more engaging than just words.

How often should you post updates?

/How many social posts you do will depend on the social media platform you are using and your overall marketing goals. However, as a general rule of thumb, you should be updating your social media posts at least once a week, preferably more.

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If your small business is just getting started with social media, then it may be helpful to start by posting to each platform once a week. Try posting variable content on each platform, as well as duplicating some of your posts. As you become more comfortable with social media, you can increase the frequency of your posts depending on your overall social media marketing strategy.

In the world of social media and digital marketing, it is all too easy to get caught up in the numbers game. How many likes did my post get? How many views did my story receive? While it is important to pay attention to these social media metrics, they should not be the only thing you focus on. Quality is just as important as quantity when it comes to social media postings. It is better to post one high-quality update than multiple low-quality or vanity metrics.

Should you hire a social media manager?

This is a decision that will need to be made based on several factors, including your budget, the size of your business, and your level of comfort with social media.

If you are a small business with a limited budget, then it may be best for you to use social media management tools to manage your own accounts. However, if you are uncomfortable with social media or don’t have the time to dedicate to it, then hiring a social media manager may be the best option.

Social media marketing can be an extremely effective way to promote your small business. By creating a social media strategy and posting engaging and visually appealing content, you can reach a large audience of potential customers. Additionally, by using social media ads and hosting giveaways or contests, you can further increase your reach and drive traffic to your website or landing pages

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How to create a social media marketing plan

Before you start creating content or posting updates, it is important to take the time to create a social media strategy. A social media strategy will help ensure that your efforts are focused and aligned with your overall business goals.

When creating your social media marketing plan, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

  • Set realistic goals and objectives
  • Define your target audience
  • Research your competition
  • Decide which platforms you will use
  • Create a content calendar
  • Create content and post
  • Analyze and readjust as needed
social media for small business

1. Set realistic goals and objectives

The first step in creating your social media marketing plan is to set some realistic goals and objectives. What do you hope to accomplish with social media? Do you want to elevate your brand, bring more traffic to your website, or increase leads?

It is important to be specific when setting goals and objectives. For example, rather than saying you want to increase brand awareness, you could say that you want to increase brand awareness by X% in the next month. This will make it easier to track your progress and determine whether or not you are meeting your goals.

2. Define your target audience

The second step in creating your social media marketing plan is to define your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your content? What are their demographics? Where do they live? What are their interests?

Answering these questions will help you create more targeted and effective content. It will also make it easier to determine which social media platforms you should be using.

3. Research your competition

The third step in creating your social media marketing plan is to research your competition. What are they doing on social media? What kind of content are they posting? How often are they posting?

Answering these questions will help you create a more effective social media strategy. It will also help you avoid making the same mistakes that your competitors are making.

4. Decide which platforms you will use

The fourth step in creating your social media marketing plan is to decide which platforms you will use. There are several different social media platforms out there, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. It is important to choose the platforms that are most relevant to your business and where your target audience is most active.

For example, if you are a B2B company, LinkedIn may be a better platform for you than Facebook. However, if you are a B2C company, Facebook may be a better platform for you than LinkedIn.

5. Create a content calendar

The fifth and final step in creating your social media marketing plan is to create a content calendar. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you are posting high-quality content regularly.

example of content calendar

When creating your content calendar, be sure to consider the following:

  • The topics you will cover
  • The frequency of your posts
  • The time of day you will post
  • The platforms you will use

Create content and post

Now that you’ve created a social media strategy and calendar, it’s time to get creative! Time to start building out your posts. You may think of social media posting as a spur-of-the-moment, one-day-at-a-time type of venture, but doing things that way can be difficult and not very time-productive.

Social media posts are better when they are a combination of spur-of-the-moment posts and planned-in-advance, strategy-directed posts.

I advise clients to take a few hours every week to create and build social media content in bulk for later posting in planned intervals.

Analyze and readjust as needed

It is important to analyze your social media marketing campaigns to ensure effectiveness. There are many ways to go about doing this. Once you know your goals and objectives for a social media campaign, you need to track the performance of your campaign against these goals. This can be done using a variety of tools, such as Google Analytics. You’ll want to monitor your campaign often, making changes or improving where necessary.

If you’re not sure how well your posts are doing compared to their potential, you can do what is called A/B testing. A/B testing is where you compare the performance of two different versions of a post to see which one performs better.

By following these steps, you can create a social media marketing plan that will help you achieve your business goals.

How can business owners sharpen their social media skills?

There are several ways a small business owner can learn how to use social media effectively. They can get social media tips and education by attending workshops and seminars, reading books and blog posts, or simply learning from doing.

The most important thing for a business owner to do is to experiment with different strategies and see what works best for their business. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to social media marketing, so it is important to find the strategy that works best for your company.

Are there social media tools to make tasks easier?

Yes, some tools can make social media management much easier. Tools like Social media marketing tools which can help you automate your posts, track your analytics, and more.

There are social media marketing tools that can help a small business:

  • Schedule and automate posts
  • Track the performance of posts
  • Monitor competitors’ activities
  • Analyze engagement metrics
  • Measure ROI

Using social media marketing tools can help make the process of managing small business social media accounts more efficient. However, it is important to remember that these tools should be used in conjunction with a well-thought-out strategy.

Final Thoughts

So, what have we learned about social media marketing for small businesses?

We know that it is important to set realistic goals and objectives, define your target audience, research your competition, and choose the platforms that are most relevant to your business.

In addition, we know that it is important to create a content calendar and post high-quality content regularly. Finally, we know that a small business owner can learn the most effective ways to use social media by attending workshops and seminars, reading books and blog posts, or hiring a social media consultant.

Using the steps outlined, small businesses can use social media channels to reach their target audience, promote their products or services, and increase brand visibility. With a well-thought-out plan and an understanding of the potential benefits and pitfalls of social media marketing, small business owners can use these social media channels to grow and succeed!



Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. These are products I’ve personally used and stand behind.

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