If you’re struggling to get your business going, social media marketing is a great place to start. It’s affordable, convenient, and it doesn’t require much time from you. In fact, if done right it can provide a significant boost in your sales over the course of just a few months.
Although you don’t need a lot of money or a large marketing budget to implement a successful social media marketing campaign, it can take some time to learn the ropes. To help you get started quickly with your business’s new marketing strategy here are some easy ways to get started.
When setting up your profile on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, be sure to make clear what the purpose of your business is as well as any specials or promotions you may have going on. Think about how people search through social media for products and services they’re interested in, and make it as easy as possible for them to find yours.
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Set goals for your social media marketing campaign. Before you get started with building your business’s social media profiles and posting updates, decide what exactly you’re trying to accomplish. For example, if one of your goals is to increase the number of people who visit your business website, be sure to link it in your social media profile so that people can easily find it.
For each platform, you choose to market your business on (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest), aim for at least 100 followers after one month. This is a very reasonable goal and will help you get more comfortable with different social platforms and how they work. Next, you’ll want that number to increase to 500 followers in one year. From there, you can start turning all of your social media followers into leads.
If you don’t already have a website for your business, try using it to host your social media profiles. You won’t have to spend the time and money building one from scratch with this method. And if people find it through social media, they may well bookmark it for future reference and return to it whenever they’re looking for a related business.
Be sure not to volunteer information about your business or any promotions or specials you have going on on your social profiles. People are often looking for bargains, so you don’t want to come across as offering one if you’re not.
If you’re using social media to attract clients, you’ll want to include a call-to-action button or link that directs them to your business website or contact page. This is one of the most important elements of social media marketing since it provides people with the ability to make a purchase or request more information about your business.
Giving away freebies can be a great way to encourage people’s interest in your business because it helps make them feel like they can trust you. If you’re able to give your followers a gift, try hosting a sweepstake or offering a gift certificate for your business.
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While you may be tempted to include branded backgrounds, photos, and graphics on your blog or website, it’s best to keep things simple. Although you want people to know it’s your business behind these accounts, they are less likely to follow if they see too much brand-related information on the page. So remember this when building up your social media profiles–less is more!
Having different types of content on each page of your social media profiles can help draw in new readers and expand the number of people who will follow you. For example, if you have a Facebook page and a blog, you’ll want to post different types of updates on the two. If you’re using Twitter to market your business, be sure to use hashtags when sharing interesting or humorous articles that are relevant to your followers.
You won’t need much in the way of money for your social media marketing campaign. If you’re using Twitter, for example, it’s free! As long as you have an internet connection at home or in the office, there’s no reason why an effective marketing strategy can’t be up and running in just a few days!
If there are any social leaders in your field who are posting quality posts on their social media profiles, make sure to follow them. You’ll want to do this on social media networks where you’re not active, too. These people may not be your direct competitors, but they can offer valuable insight into what your followers are interested in.
By having more followers on social media sites, you make it easier for people to find you. So if you notice that one of your posts or tweets is getting retweeted, consider sharing it with your other platforms. You’ll see that the same message spreads farther and faster when people share it with their own friends and followers on various platforms.
You can use Twitter to increase the number of visitors to your website by including a link in all of the posts you make with this platform. Use the hashtag #promoter so that people can find it easily on Twitter, too.
If you’re a visual artist, consider offering a free download of your artwork on your social sites in exchange for a review from someone who sees your work. You may have to spend some time promoting this offering, but it will help build up your social presence and increase the number of people who visit your website in search of this artwork. That’s a win-win situation!
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If you’d like to start marketing on Facebook in the United States, check out this great infographic from TheStreet. It covers Facebook best practices, tips, and even references some of the most popular American Facebook users.
If you’d like to know more about social media marketing for small business owners, be sure to check out this blog post from Marketo. It’s packed with great advice for turning your social presence into an effective lead generation tool.
Social Media Marketing For Small Businesses Infographic
Ask yourself what you want to accomplish by using social media for your business. Are you trying to reach a wider audience? Or do you just want people to buy something from your website? Whatever it is that’s motivating you, remember that social media gives you the freedom to choose how you want to market yourself online.
