With over 62% of the world using social media (Kepios), it has become an indispensable tool for small business owners aiming to expand their reach and engage with their audience.
But managing social media for small businesses is no easy feat — with such a wide range of strategies, resources needed, and platforms to choose from, it can feel daunting to get started and maintain it over time.
In this comprehensive guide, we lay out the simplest ways you can level up your social media marketing as a business owner. By combining organic and paid social media channels strategically, you can unlock benefits that amplify your online presence and drive tangible results.
5 Ways to Make Your Organic Social Media Marketing Shine
- Make a Posting Schedule
- Pick the Right Platforms for You
- Engage With Your Audience
- Establish Expertise
- Prioritize Authenticity
Make a Posting Schedule
Posting consistently is important for keeping your audience engaged and your business at top of mind. If you can post daily, that is fantastic! Otherwise, three to five times a week is a good range to maintain consistent visibility and exposure.
Incorporating this number of posts into your weekly routine can be overwhelming, especially alongside other business responsibilities. Making a content calendar is an easy yet effective way to stay ahead of schedule and maintain a steady stream of engaging posts.
By mapping out your content ideas in advance, you can alleviate the pressure of last-minute brainstorming and prioritize high-quality, engaging content for your current and potential customers.
Pick the Right Platforms for You
Research suggests that the user base of individual social media platforms varies greatly depending on factors such as age, household income, gender, and more (Pew Research Center). Especially if you’re in a niche industry, it is crucial to figure out which platforms your potential customers are most likely to engage with.
It’s also important to consider what kind of content you’re efficiently able to produce. If you have tons of high-quality photos to show off, platforms that prioritize visuals and imagery such as Instagram and Facebook may be the best choice for you. If you’re able to craft engaging video content you may look into YouTube or TikTok.
Remember, you don’t have to be on every social media platform to make an impact. Focus on leveraging your strengths to maximize engagement and results!
Engage With Your Audience
If you’re posting engaging content, it’s likely that your audience will try to interact with you through comments, messages, or other channels. Responding promptly and kindly to current and potential customers alike shows that you not only care about doing business with them, but also that you want to build relationships with them.
By focusing on responsiveness, you’ll foster trust and loyalty with your audience and encourage ongoing engagement that strengthens your business’ reputation.
Establish Expertise
Organic social media marketing differs from other forms of marketing where potential customers are actively seeking out products and services. Because of this, it is crucial to be proactive in demonstrating knowledge and authority in your field.
Consumers want to do business with credible people and companies that they can trust. Consistently sharing valuable content, insights, and tips related to your industry can capture the attention of your audience and establish your business as a trusted resource they can use when the time is right.
Prioritize Authenticity
People want to work with people. In fact, 39% of people say that authenticity is the number one factor they look for when engaging with a business (Matter Communications).
Being human-centered, relatable, and genuine in your social media marketing strategy can help build trust, foster meaningful connections, and set you apart from your competitors. You’ll create a strong foundation for building strong, long-lasting relationships with your audience that can lead to long-term success.
How Businesses Can Use Paid Social Media Marketing
- Boost Individual Posts
- Invest in a Paid Social Media Campaign
Boost Individual Posts
While organic social media marketing is valuable for long-term brand awareness and engagement, it has limitations when it comes to reach and engagement. If you’re looking for a quick spike in activity, boosting a post is one way to go.
You can do this by allocating a set amount of money to an individual post for a quick burst in reach, engagement, traffic, and more from consumers who may be interested in your products and services but are not familiar with your business.
Boosting posts is an especially effective paid social media marketing strategy to amplify important messages, promotions, or announcements to ensure they’re seen by a wider audience. Try boosting a post about a short-term special you’re having, or one about an upcoming event to drive traffic from potential customers.
Wondering how to boost posts on different platforms? You can find instructions here:
Invest in a Paid Social Media Campaign
If you’re looking for long-term improvements in reach, brand awareness, engagement, traffic, lead generation, and more, a paid social media campaign may be right for you.
Investing in ongoing paid social media marketing allows for more detail and targeting capabilities than other strategies, and it facilitates even more tangible results.
Paid social media campaigns require a strong attention to detail and ongoing optimizations, which can take up valuable time and resources for business owners and their staff. Working with a digital marketing agency to build and manage your campaigns can ease that burden, allowing you to stay ahead of the competition and adapt to evolving market dynamics as they arise.
Ultimately, investing in paid social media marketing can yield significant benefits, from driving traffic and generating ROI to amplifying broader brand awareness. By putting time and budget towards these initiatives yourself, or working with an agency like Hyport Digital, you’ll position yourself for long-term success across the digital landscape.
Learn More About Paid Social Media Marketing at Hyport Digital
At Hyport Digital, our experts in social media for small businesses build and manage paid social media campaigns that allow businesses to grow and thrive online. If you’re ready to invest in a paid social media marketing campaign, let us take the burden off your hands and contact us today!
