Like it or not, social media is everywhere. Radio and TV, in our not-so-distant past, changed the way we received information and how businesses advertised to the population. So too has social media changed our world.
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For the small business owner, social media has given you a tremendous opportunity. You have the ease and affordability to connect with your customers like never before. It is mind-blowing how you can use social media to broadcast your message about who you are and what you stand for to the whole world in an instant. In your constant desire to build your business, you are barraged with all the latest and greatest tools to reach the masses in new and innovative ways.
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If you are trying to build your business and wonder if you should be using social media, the answer is a resounding YES!
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If you wonder what platform to use, well, that answer isn’t so straightforward.
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I know that all the choices available to you can be overwhelming. Your is head spinning because you don’t know if you should start with Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. But then you feel you are missing an opportunity if you aren’t on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, or Periscope.
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I find that those that struggle to find their place in the social media arena either try to have their hand in everything and are frustrated or are overwhelmed and avoid it all together.
The main problem with trying to do everything is that you end up not accomplishing anything. Your focus is spread so thin that nothing is done effectively and consistency. This is true in social media. If you start out trying to be on all platforms all the time with no rhyme nor reason, your time is eaten up and you are run ragged. You soon become frustrated and may come to the conclusion that nothing works.
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What’s worse than trying to do everything is being overwhelmed with all your choices and not trying anything. You may be a person who avoids technology, but that doesn’t mean your customers do. Maybe you feel you don’t like social media, but that doesn’t mean your customers aren’t present there. If you avoid trying any social media platform, you are not utilizing a great and affordable communication tool for your business.
To get started,don’t make things complicated. Take these simple steps.
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1) Ask Your Customers
If you want to know something, you’ve got to ask, right? You already have a customer base, simply ask them what is their favorite social media platform. Talk to them a bit to see why they like it and what draws them to it. Even if your customer base is in the dozens rather than the thousands, you have already connected with people with whom you’d like to do business with. They matter! Talk to them!
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2) Focus on ONE!
Once you determine where a majority of your customers hang out on social media, choose the platform. OK, you may have a difficult time choosing because maybe it’s an even split between Facebook and Pinterest? Choose ONE!
For you to get anything done, you must have desire, planning, focus, and persistence. Choose the social platform that you are most likely to use consistently.
When you commit to one platform, put your complete focus on it. You will soon see results. Build that focus into a process. Once your process becomes a habit, then you are better able to incorporate the process on another platform or start something new entirely.
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3) Consistent Posts
Social media is a noisy world. Everyone is vying for time to be seen in any newsfeed. You may feel overwhelmed because social media is like a hungry content monster. The fact of the matter is, you cannot set up a social account and say your job is done. Social media was designed to be a communication tool. You must make the effort to enter into the conversation and make posts. You cannot expect to post on occasion, whenever you may feel like it, to gain any traction either.
Consistency is important. Yes, content is important, but if you do not follow through with your consistency, you have no way of knowing which posts are effective and which ones are not. You have no way of improving your message without trying.
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4) Engage
The reason for social media is to be…well, social. Take the time to review and comment and share things you like. Are you someone who shies away from social media because you believe there is too much negativity out there? You have a choice of what you share. Make your choices in the manner of how you’d like your business to be viewed. Your comments and what you share does reflect on you and your business.
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5) Build Systems
You may start off doing everything yourself by figuring out your chosen platform and discovering what works and what doesn’t. Reviewing analytics help you get the most out of your social media marketing. There is blocked time in your day to devote to social media. You make it routine.
At first, you may be posting just to keep up with consistency. That’s OK.
With practice and analysis, you will develop a plan of communication that helps people to better understand who you are and what you are all about. You are building a relationship with people, so when you do offer something, they are more likely to buy.
No one ever said that YOU have to do all your social media. If you struggle to make consistent posts, get help with that piece so you can focus on engagement and analytics. Maybe you’ve grown your business enough where you can delegate the entire process and and assign the tasks to someone to represent your business and communicate using your business’ “voice.”
6) Expand
Once you have your system down with one platform and it has become a habit, try another. You are able to implement many of the same practices and routines with other platforms. It just takes getting comfortable with one to more easily see opportunity on others.
Don’t feel like you have to be everywhere. If it doesn’t make sense to be on a particular platform, then don’t go there. Will you be missing some individuals? Probably. But, remember…you aren’t trying to serve everyone. You shouldn’t be concerned with trying to connect with everyone, just the right ones.
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In our digital world, there’s something you must never forget. No matter the platform…your foundation still remains how you build your relationships. Don’t let your mind become clouded with all the tools out there to help you reach more people. Your message and your relationship you build with your customers and your potential customers is the most important thing.
