We’ve all been there, we have a Facebook page for our business, we even posted on it for a while and have a few likes. But then life got in the way. Our business demanded more of our attention, and social media marketing fell by the wayside.
Let’s be honest with each other for a moment, this has happened to most of us. Now the question becomes how do we dive back into the game? The easy answer is, just start posting again. But that leads to a lot of questions: what do I post? Where should I post? When should I post? Who’s reading my posts? Why should I post? See, it is not that easy, and if you’re like me, you want to make sure you are doing it right or why do it at all. Why waste the time. So what I’m going to do is attempt to answer these questions for you in this post and in the coming weeks. Be sure you stick around because we are going to be coming back and expounding on these answers week after week.
Why should I post?
Any successful business today will have a social media presence of some type. Why? Because that is where your customers are. People of nearly all ages and demographics are using social media in one form or another. Since they are already on social media, you want to engage them there. One way to do this is to post regularly. What does this do for your business? It increases your brand awareness, it fosters relationships with customers, and if done correctly will increase your sales.
It takes time and I know as a small business owner time is very important to you. But there are ways to streamline this process. One way is by hiring a trusted social media manager like AR Media. But do not be discouraged social media is well worth the effort. The exposure, interactions, and qualified leads it generates are more than worth the time it takes to set up and see it through. Social Media is a long game – remember I said to post regularly – so you need to be patient. Consistency is key, but now I am getting into answering the next question.
When should I post?
Post regularly, but do not be obnoxious. This is a fine line and is different for each business and each industry. In general, posting once a month usually does not work. Posting 10 times a day will get your page blocked by most users most of the time. So where is the balance?
A good place to start is with a post a week. See what that does for you. If you are not getting the results you want to go to twice a week, or more. If people are leaving your page in droves then back off to bi-weekly or change what you are posting. It may be a message issue rather than a frequency issue. The key here is to experiment. You cannot “mess up” social media unless you really intend to. Finding how often to post to get the engagement you want will be a process but worth the reward.
What do I post?
As I just mentioned if you are not getting the results you are wanting it may not be a frequency issue but a content or message issue. It is not as simple as posting about one’s business or asking for likes. In fact, posting only about your business or products or asking for likes will have the opposite effect of sending people away from your brand. Why? Because social media is about being social. And who wants to watch a channel that plays nothing but commercials all the time?
Social media is about sharing ideas. Having a laugh. Finding a cute cat video. But really unless you sell pet-related products or services, how is a cat video going to help your business? It is not. So the solution becomes one of finding a balance between what your followers and customers will share and keeping your posts related to your industry and business.
Quotes are a good place to start. Posting your blog articles is another option. Finding industry related blogs, videos, or top ten lists is easy to do for most industries. The key is to post something that is shareable that also is about your business. It should also be content that is of interest or value to the clients you want to attract. Your social media page should be a resource for information and/or entertainment to your client base.
Where should I post?
I have mentioned Facebook a couple of times, and that is always a good social media platform for marketing, no matter the type of business you are in. Facebook is the third most visited site in the US after Google and YouTube. The chances are your customers and clients are already on the platform and engaging with content, so why not yours.
Now there are plenty of other platforms out there where, depending on your business, you may want to post in addition to Facebook. If your business is highly visual – think food, flowers, puppies, etc, then consider posting your own pictures to Instagram and or Pinterest. These platforms are highly visual and require original photography in order to compete with everyone else. Find a unique angle and snap a picture. Twitter can be a good way to gather new fans and customers. They key there is posting often and #hashtags. LinkedIn is best for business to business industries as you can target specific business demographics. Keep in mind how frequently (or infrequently) you are on LinkedIn and note that your clients are probably on even less.
There are other social media platforms besides these. I would have fun and experiment – see what works and what does not work for your business. Remember there are slightly different audiences (in terms of demographics and interests) on each, so tailor your message to each platform.
Now that we have gone over posting, it’s time to get back to the original question, how do I resurrect my business online? You now have the tools to start posting again on social media platforms, so start there. Run a sale or special, give something away for free – a good tool to attract new clients. Post something memorable that people will share. Beyond just posting maybe update your social media profile. Make sure your images are fresh and engaging. Look over any keywords and descriptions make sure they are as impactful as they can be. Make use of sections on your Facebook page where you can add services, hours, and contact info, etc. You can also look at running some ads on your social media platform. This will help you get out in front of old and new clients, and most platforms have reasonable rates.
Well, that about does it for this entry. Stay with us this week as we explore this topic more. Be sure to like our Facebook page to join us next week as we talk about how to attract customers online. We will cover ads, posts, messages, landing pages, emails, websites, and possibly more. If you are looking for help with your online presence please email us at contact@armedia.us we would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Hope to hear from you soon.
