For small businesses and small start-ups it seems like in the first few weeks and months – everything is full steam ahead. One thing that many small businesses forget about though (or simply don’t have time for) is their social media strategy.

This can be such a huge mistake though – because social media marketing is becoming an ever more popular and more powerful method of marketing.

Social Media is an informal setting where you can communicate with your potential (and current) customers, and of course, it’s an informal space where you can causally and elegantly promote products and services.


The best bit? It’s essentially free too? Social media sites are free to join and register – so this great little marketing technique isn’t going to cost you anything other than time. Which why it’s so important you’re embracing it!

So where should you start? Well, I’ve put together a quick, easy guide for small businesses looking to start planning their own social media strategy. So have a read and then jump in! The quicker you get involved – the quicker you’ll experience the benefits!

Sign Up and Brand your pages

First things first, you need to sign up and get your profile pages looking good. This means designing a background image (try to keep it uniform for all pages as this makes it easier for customers to find you and it looks more professional) and make sure you’ve got links to your website on all your profiles too.

Discuss who will be responsible for updates

Choose which member of staff is going to be in charge of the updates and the kind of brand voice you’re going to have. This is one of the most important stages of the strategy – and it’s something I find many companies get confused about. Have a think about your target demographic and the kind of updates they’d want to see – this should then lead you in the right direction. By keeping one or two people responsible, you’re keeping the brand voice constant and coherent too.

Target your demographic

Think about whom your target audience is and make sure you’re updating your social profiles when these people are most likely to be online. The one mistake I see companies making the most is sending out great updates – but at the complete wrong time. Which is such a waste of time and effort. If your target audience are school children and teenagers – schedule updates for after school hours. For stay-at-home parents, during the day might be a better time.

Share

Next step? Get yourself some followers and fans!  The easiest way to start gathering friends, fan and followers is to start sharing your pages – share it with everyone! This is the only way to start getting yourselves a kick start! Promote your company page using your personal accounts, and ask friends with accounts to do the same – this is the perfect time to claim any favours from friends and family members!


Author Bio:
Ella works with www.whoishostingthis.com - A great place to compare and contrast different web hosting services. Perfect for start-ups and small businesses!