Get Friendly with Social Media

10 tips to make platforms like Facebook your BFFs

BY KATHY WALL

For a small decorative arts business, social media promises an outsize effect. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to define (and refine) who you are, expand your visibility (your presence is only a post away) and ultimately reap the profits with new clients who like what they see. If you’re intimidated by social media or aren’t sure how to use it for the benefit of your business, here are some tips to help you get started.

1YOU’RE A VISUAL BUSINESS, SO SHOW IT AND SHARE IT If there’s a single business ideally suited to social media, it’s the decorative arts. Interior design is visual, social media is visual and thus the two shall entwine to mutual benefit. Get in the habit of snapping pictures daily or documenting the progression of projects. Followers will anticipate the next installment of your stories. Don’t forget to put the faces with the fabrics. While you’re showcasing products, you’re building personal relationships.

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EMBRACE THE SMALL

As a small business, you have an edge—a smaller staff is easier to get to know on social media. You can introduce your entire team. Allow a different staff member to take center stage in different posts. Show how each one contributes. Your communications will feel intimate, and followers will soon feel like friends. Get posting and let the friendships bloom.

3LEAVE NO PLATFORM UNPOSTED Be proactive. Create accounts in as many social media forums as possible, even if you don’t plan to use them all at first. Get started on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, then increase your list as new channels are added and your expertise as a user grows.

4PRESERVE YOUR GOOD NAME It’s like your mother said—nothing can replace a good name. With social media, the trick is trying to use your business’s name as your social media handle whenever possible so clients and new followers can find you. Hopefully the name in your website URL and your email address can be repeated for your social media accounts. Character limitations can be an issue, so it’s OK to abbreviate, but not so much that your name becomes unrecognizable. Consistency is an essential component in successfully marketing your brand.

5START PERSONAL, GROW BUSINESS Maybe you’ve been a social media user for years but you haven’t made the switch to business. Use your personal Facebook to introduce your new business Facebook account. Invite your personal friends, many of whom no doubt are also business friends, to now follow your Facebook business page. Also, create a business account in Instagram. It allows you to incorporate clickable “email” or “call now” features for instant communication with people interested in doing business with you.

6PERFECT, THEN POST We’re design folks. The upside of that is we’re appreciative of gorgeous images. The downside is some of us can be snarky when we see something that doesn’t meet our expectations. So before you get overzealous to communicate, make sure your images are exactly the ones you want the world to see. Do they present you and your products in your best light? Do they show attention to quality of lighting and framing, homing in on precisely what you want to showcase? Your attention to quality in all areas reflects on your image. Nail it before you post it.

7LEAVE NO MISSING LINKS Link your accounts to each other in the settings for each. This allows you to post once and have a message appear across all platforms. Use the platform’s tutorials to correctly set up linking of accounts and then use the auto-tweet option for posts from Facebook and Instagram to minimize the need to create unique content on Twitter, thus saving time. Be aware of character limitations and correct tagging when creating content. Using a social media manager like Hootsuite will allow you to post across sites at one time but with content edited to fit each site’s requirements.

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You’re posting about your business, but write your post as though you are the brand. Use the first-person plural “we” or “our.”

9MAKE CONTENT COUNT No matter which sites you choose, content is key to building your online presence. Think of your posts as coffee chats with friends. Use a conversational tone. Avoid blatant hype that sounds like an advertisement, but, hey, do toot your own horn. This is your opportunity to share what your business means to you, what’s most important about it that you want others to know and appreciate. Create an online tone for your voice that is authentically you, whether it’s quirky, sophisticated, bubbly or humorous.

CHECK YOURSELF

10 Nearly all social platforms include a free mechanism that allows you to measure and evaluate your initiatives, so check your analytics at least once each week. For a price, paid options are available that assimilate your analytics into a single tool. z

Kathy Wall is president and ringleader of The Media Matters, an agency in the Triad area of North Carolina offering marketing, advertising and brand strategy to a roster of international clients. Kathy has shared her talents with the home furnishings industry for over three decades and formed her own business 18 years ago. Her motto? “We don’t work with jerks.” TheMediaMatters.com Facebook: TheMediaMatters Twitter: TheMediaMatters Instagram: Tmm.Agency

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