4 Ways Your Small Business Should Be Using Social Media

If you can think back to about twenty years ago, social media wasn’t really heard of. There might have been small startups happening in some places online, but it was not as present as it is today. Everywhere you look, you will see someone with their head down scrolling on social media. It has just become a new pastime for many Americans. While some might see this as a negative turn for pop culture and society, small businesses should be seeing it as a big, empty room full of opportunity and potential.

Learning social media can seem like a difficult task. But just as with everything else, if it’s done long enough with more practice, it can become second nature. Small businesses should be investing in social media and how to operate it as an organization in order to increase their profits. Large businesses are definitely using social media to shout their brands and sell their products. In the case of smaller businesses, social media could work even better if it is done right. Here are four ways that you should be implementing social media in your small business.

1. Paid Advertising

When most people think of social media for a small business, they simply think of going over to their business page and posting something special. While this is definitely one aspect of social media that you’ll learn about, the most important factor is paid advertising. Other than email marketing (please add this link onto email marketing: https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/email-marketing-guide/), this will give you the advantage over the competition in your community because many other small businesses simply are not using the paid aspects of social media. Most platforms give you the option of paying to get your content out about your business. When you do pay, it is a guarantee that your message will appear in your customer’s feed. Learn to do paid advertising first and concentrate most of your energy on it, and then go to more organic reach.

2. Video Storage

Next, look at social media as a storage place for all your videos. As it turns out, more of your customers desire videos other than still images and text on a business page. When people are scrolling through social media, they want to see something that catches their eyes. Videos that you create yourself with eye-catching traits will get engagement and get your customers talking. Video is the way of the future for social media and the online world in general.

3. Providing Value

Your social media page should also be a place for valuable content. This means that you add value to the lives of your followers by giving them important tips, hacks, information and answers. This might seem like you’re giving some valuable information away for free because that’s exactly what you’re doing! In the online world, this is just how it works. When you give something for free, people will be more inclined to visit your place of business or purchase from you because they now trust you. Simply think of something valuable that is related to your field of expertise and offer the information to your audience in a post.

4. Going Into the Community

Another great way to use social media for your small business is by diving deeper into the community. This means that you really explore and talk about your local community in order to get the attention of your customers. After all, your customers live in this community, and when you share information about it, it will get them curious. Simply get involved with the community and share it on your page, or you can also help other local businesses or the city out with events that they have going on. It is a sure way to give your customer exactly what they want.

If you learn to harness the power of social media for your small business, it really is the only tool you’ll ever need to get leads and increase your profits. How will you use social media today?