Social media is a key component to successful online marketing but like any marketing effort, it requires some time and dedication to see results. When you run your own business, it can be difficult to set aside the time to reserve for marketing. Have no fear, these simple tips can help you make the most of your time for social media!
Create a Schedule
Social media on the surface can seem like a daunting task for online marketing. Without any kind or organization, it certainly can be! The first step in getting over the hump of how to use social media to help your online presence is to get on a schedule. You will want to know ahead of time what type of content you want to post and when to post it.
If you’re new to social media for business, maybe start at posting once a month. From there you can determine the date and time you are going to reserve for social media. This could be a half hour early in the morning before you start your day, during your lunch hour or in the evening when you’re done with work for the day.
Set Realistic Goals
When small business owners sign up with social media, they will often use it for a couple months then neglect the account because they had too broad of goals or expectations to be attainable. You can’t expect every like, follower or share to translate into a customer so don’t be discouraged and instead try adjusting your methods. This starts with being active on your accounts.
Always remember that you need to identify your audience then engage with them. Be ready to respond to positive or negative feedback. Remember, it’s all about sticking to your schedule and being in touch with your accounts to help you grow your business. People connect with a human brand and not a sales-driven robot.
Use Your Resources
If you feel like you’ve hit a wall with social media or can’t seem to get started; don’t panic! With a simple Google search, there are more tools and resources available to you than you realize! If you don’t know what to post, you can always search examples of social content in your industry. Not to mention, most of the resources out there are free to use. For example, Hootsuite is a social media management tool that allows users to post their social content to multiple platforms all from one place; which can be a huge time saver!
In addition, Pexels is also useful for having access to thousands of free stock images to use with your social content without having to worry about copyright violations. This is only to name a few but there are plenty of free resources to help you with online marketing!