SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Do you run a small business? Do you still rely on local directories to advertise your products/services? If your business doesn’t have a social media presence you should really start considering it. Over one-third of UK small businesses say that they use Facebook and other platforms to market their services and products. If you feel a little lost about starting your own social media marketing strategy take a look at the tips below and discover how to gain new clients with just a little money and some time.
Facebook is the most popular social network in the world. It is used by companies and individuals and has more than 900 million active users every month.
Thousands of brands and businesses use Twitter everyday. The ‘140character’ social platform is the perfect place for promoting your products or services.
Create a Facebook page for your business. Choose a nice cover image that represents your company and promote the page between your friends.
Tweet about your promotions, product launches or anything related to your company. Check your mentions (@) and see what your followers think of your business.
Complete the ‘About’ description and add a link to your company’s site. It is recommended that you also provide an email address and a telephone number on your FB page.
Don’t forget to take a look at your direct messages folder from time to time, some users might prefer to send you a private message instead of mentioning your company in a tweet.
Getting likes on FB takes time, be constant and update your page regularly with interesting and engaging posts.
Use hashtags (#) when tweeting so the tweet appears on search results and people can find your products easily.
GOOGLE + Although Google’s social media platform hasn’t got as many users as Facebook or Twitter, it is highly recommended to create a profile on this site to reach potential clients using the platform. Create circles for specific groups of people. You can create a circle for your employees, another one for your clients, etc.
LINKEDIN Create a company profile on LinkedIn. It is the perfect platform to find future employees and to interact with other users related to your industry. Encourage the members in your network to recommend your business and do the same for them.
Visit NerdInsider.com for more information on social media platforms for your business.
PINTEREST Pinterest is great for retail and travel businesses. You can upload the photos of your products and create boards based on different themes. When you “pin” a photo of a product make sure you do it from your site so if someone wants to know where they can purchase that item they can click on it and go to your page.
Pinterest is also the perfect place to create competitions and giveaways. Encourage your followers to repin your photos and give them something in return.
BLOG Create a company blog and link it from your business’ site. Update it regularly with photos of your new products, news related to your business, events, etc. Reply to the comments you receive and spend some time posting on other bloggers’ profiles in order to build a relationship with people interested in your products or services.