Social media is a big deal for your small business. It can do a lot to help you. Social media can bring in customers and help you talk to the people who already buy from you.
You can use media to tell people about your small business. You can share what you do. What you sell. This way people will know more about your business.
Here are some things social media can do for your business:
- Help you get more customers
- Let you talk to the people who already buy from you
- Make your small business look good
- Help you sell things
Social media is very important, for your small business. You should really think about using media to help your small business. Your small business can really benefit from media.
Look I am not going to sugarcoat it. Running a business is really hard.
You are the CEO of the business the janitor of the small business the accountant of the small business and the customer service department of the small business all at the same time.
Now someone is telling you that you need to be a media expert for your small business too? I understand. I would probably roll my eyes at the idea of being a media expert, for my small business.
Here is the thing. Your customers are already on media. They are, on it now. Probably looking at Instagram when they should be working.
If your business is not showing up in their feed then your business does not exist to your customers. Your customers will not think about your business if they do not see it on media.
This is not about needing to post pictures three times a day or trying to become very popular. It is, about going to the places where the people you want to talk to are and talking to them like you would talk to your friends.
Why Not Using Social Media Is Costing You Money
Not having a presence on media is really hurting your business. You are losing out on a lot of money.
Social media is a part of our lives now. People use it to find things they want to buy. If you do not have a page on media people will not know about your business.
You need to be, on media so people can see what you are selling. Social media is where people go to look for things. If you are not there you are missing out. You are losing money because people do not know about your business.
- You can use media to tell people about your business
- You can use media to sell things to people
- You can use media to talk to people who might want to buy from you
Not using social media is costing you money. You need to start using media for your business. Social media is a way to get more customers. You can use it to tell people about your business and the things you are selling.
So I was thinking, when is the last time you came across a restaurant or a local business? Did you look in the phone book to find it? I mean does anyone even know where the phone book is anymore?
You might have seen them on Instagram. Maybe your friend talked about them on Facebook. It is possible you found them because of some video, on TikTok that appeared on your feed.
You could have come across them on TikTok. Maybe your friend saw them on Facebook. Then told you about them.
People usually find businesses this way now. If your business is not online then your business will not be found. Your business needs to be online so people can find your business.
Here is the thing: 5 billion people use social media and they spend around 2.5 hours every day looking at social media.
This is not just teenagers who watch dance videos on media. Social media is used by moms who are looking for contractors, business owners who are searching for services on media and grandparents who are shopping for gifts, on social media.
When you are not on media it is like your store is closed on the busiest shopping day of the year. This is the day when a lot of people’re out shopping.
Meanwhile your competitors, the stores are open, for business. They are ready to sell to all these people. Your store, the media store is closed so you are not selling anything. Your competitors, the social media stores are open and they are selling to all these people.
What Social Media Actually Does Besides Wasting Our Time
media is something that people use every day. It does a lot of things.
- It helps people stay in touch with friends and family who live away.
Social media is very good at this.
It also helps people find out what is going on in the world.
People use media to share news and information about social media.
Social media is a part of our lives and it is not just for wasting time on social media.
We use media to learn new things and to have fun on social media.
Social media is very important, for people who like to use media.
You Can Stand Up In Front Of People You Do Not Know
I remember when people used to say that getting your name there was really expensive. They would have to spend a lot of money like a thousand dollars just to put up a billboard. Then social media came along and that changed everything.
Now getting your name there is a lot easier because of social media.
Now is the time. One good post can reach hundreds or thousands of people who have never heard of you before. This is completely free.
When someone shares your content or tags you it is like an announcement. Their whole network gets to see you and what you’re, about. You would be lucky to get that kind of reach with a newspaper ad.
One good post is all it takes to get your name there to people who have never heard of you before.
This Will Not Cost You A Lot Of Money
Let us be honest, about money. The cost of advertising is very high. If you want to put an ad on the radio it will cost you thousands of dollars. If you want to make a television commercial it is just not possible unless you have a lot of money from investors like venture capital.
Social media is really something. You do not have to spend any money to get results from media. I have seen people start with no budget all and still get good results from social media.
Social media can be very useful, for people who want to reach a lot of people without spending a lot of money.
If you want to invest in ads on you can spend just five dollars a day. It is totally up, to what your budget allows. The targeting of the ads is really good.
Your money will reach the people who might actually buy something from you not random people who are driving past a billboard.
You Get To Be A Person, Not Just A Company Logo
I really like this part. Social media is not something where you talk loudly about your business. Social media is a place where you can actually talk to people and hear what they have to say about your business.
People use media to find out more about your business and what you do. So social media is very important, for your business.
When someone comments on your post you can respond then and there. If someone has a question at 9 PM on a Tuesday you can answer the question from your couch.
This kind of human interaction with the person who commented on your post builds trust in a way that no fancy ad campaign for your post ever could. Responding to comments, on your post is a thing.
When you go shopping what do you prefer? Do you want to spend your money at a company where you do not know anyone or at a store where you have met the person who owns it?
Your customers think the way, about shopping. They like to know who they are giving their money to, like the owner of a business where they can actually talk to the owner of the business.
They Give You Free Market Research
Every single like, comment and share gives you a clue, about what people think. What kind of posts do people really like? At what time of day are people usually online? What are the questions that people keep asking about the posts?
This is a plan that shows what your customers really want. It is like having a guide that tells you what people are looking for.
The good thing about this plan is that it does not cost you any money, like those expensive meetings where you talk to people to find out what they want. This plan gives you information, for free. It always has the latest information.
Your customers want something. This plan shows you what that something is.
Choosing Your Platform Without Losing Your Mind 
The truth is that you do not need to be. Managing Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and LinkedIn and Twitter and all the other social media sites is too much.
It is a lot of work to keep up with Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and LinkedIn and Twitter. You will get really tired if you try to do all of that.
Trying to do everything will cause you a lot of stress. You will feel burned out. You do not have to be, on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and LinkedIn and Twitter all the time.
Facebook is really popular. That is a fact. I mean, if you have a business in your town Facebook is a great place to be. If you want to talk to people who are older like, over 30 years old Facebook is the way to go.
For example your aunt probably has a Facebook account.
Instagram is really great for things that look good in pictures. If your business has products or you have cool before and after photos or, behind the scenes stuff then Instagram is the way to go.
LinkedIn is really for people who’re into business. If you are trying to sell things to companies or you want people to think you are professional then LinkedIn is the place for you to be, on.
TikTok is not a place where kids dance around anymore although you will still see a lot of that. These days regular businesses are doing really on TikTok. They are successful because they are being real and helping people.
You should not ignore TikTok without taking a look, at it.
Seriously, Just Pick One or Two
You have permission to pick one platform that you like. If you feel like doing more you can pick two. The important thing is to choose a platform where your customersre where you will not mind making content for it.
You should pick a platform where your actual customersre and you will be happy to create content, for that platform.
It is much better to post on one platform than to make five accounts and post two times and then forget about them because the work is too much.
Master one platform first. The Facebook platform or the Twitter platform or any other platform you like master that one thing. You can always add platforms later.
The key is to be good at one thing, like the Instagram platform or the YouTube platform before you try to do much.
How to Not Suck at Social Media
Just Show Up Regularly
Consistency is really important. It is better to have three posts every week that you write on a regular schedule. This is a lot better, than taking three weeks to try to make one post that is perfect.
Consistency beats perfection every time when it comes to writing posts.
To make a content calendar you can use a Google Doc. This is a way to plan what you will post.
On Monday you will post tips about things that people can use. On Wednesday you will share something to make people laugh. Then on Friday you will show people what happens behind the scenes.
You can do whatever works for your content calendar. The main thing is to make a schedule and stick to it like posting tips on Monday and things on Wednesday and, behind-the-scenes stuff on Friday.
Give People a Reason to Care
You do not need a million people to like every thing you post. Every time you post something it should do something for the people who see it. It should make them laugh or entertain them.
It should give them some information that they can use. It should inspire people to do something. It should just tell them a good story.
Every post should be, like that it should provide entertainment or useful information or inspiration or a good story.
When you are about to post something you should think to yourself: “Would I really care about this thing if I saw it while I was scrolling through?”
If you think to yourself “I do not know, maybe not” then you should keep thinking of ideas. You should keep thinking until you come up with something that you think is really interesting, like the things you like to see when you are scrolling through the things that make you stop and look.
Be Yourself. Let People See The Real You
Your phone camera is really okay. You do not need to hire a photographer or use fancy lighting. Your phone camera is good enough, for taking pictures. You can use your phone camera to take photos.
And here is a secret: videos get a lot attention than pictures. So you should record a video. Show people what you look like. Take people on a tour of your workplace.
Show them how you make your product or do your job. People want to see the version of your business the one that is not perfect not some fancy company image.
Videos are a way to do this so you should make more videos. People like videos because they are more interesting than pictures so you should use videos to show people what your business is, like.
You Should Really Talk to People
Social media is called media for a good reason. Social media is not, like a sign that people walk by and look at. Social media is where people talk to each other and share things with the people they know.
When someone writes a comment on something you posted you should write back to them.
Try asking people questions when you make a post this can help get a conversation started.
You should also look at what other people’re posting and engage with their content too.
This is a way to talk to people and make friends on the internet.
People, like it when you look at their posts and write something about them.
So always try to write to people and look at what they are posting like the things that Facebook friends and other people post and engage with their content.
This way of doing things helps you make friends with people and the computer program sees that people are interacting with you so it shows what you post to more people.
This is a thing for everyone especially, for your content because the algorithm notices the engagement and shows your content to more people.
Use Hashtags Like a Normal Person
Using hashtags is a way to help people find you. You should use a popular hashtags and some that are specific to what you do and where you are located. Do not use many hashtags because that can look bad.
It is better to use a mix of specific hashtags, for your business or thing you are doing.
If you are looking for a Chicago bakery you should try a place that makes bread.
They have good sourdough at the Chicago bakery.
Look at the things that other bakeries are talking about like the hashtags they use and what the people who buy bread from you’re interested, in.
Some of these hashtags are #bakery and #freshbread and # #chicagobakery and #sourdough.
Pay Attention to the Numbers
Every platform gives you statistics to see what is working. You should check these statistics every week. Look at which posts did well. When are the people who follow you actually using the platform? What things do the people who follow the platform click on?
So we should do more of the things that work and stop doing the things that do not work. This is really simple. We need to focus on the things that work and get rid of the things that do not work.
Real Stories from Real People
Sarah’s Boutique Shop
Sarah has a clothing store in Austin. At first she did not know what to do with her Instagram account because it had zero people following her.
Sarah decided to be real on her Instagram. She posted things like how to put outfits pictures of her customers what happens when she goes on trips to buy clothes for her store and even the days when things are not going well with her business like when it is slow.
Sarah runs her clothing store. She is, on Instagram.
Two years later she has 15,000 followers who really care about what she does. And this is the part: Instagram is where forty percent of her customers first found her Instagram and then they bought stuff from her because of her Instagram.
Mike’s HVAC Business
Mike fixes furnaces and air conditioning units in the Chicago suburbs. He did not think that social media was useful for his line of work. That was until he saw people always asking for recommendations in Facebook groups.
Mike realized that people were actually using media to find people, like Mike who fix furnaces and air conditioning units.
He started with something. He asked the people who were happy, with his service to write down what they thought. Then he started sharing things that people would find helpful like how to tell if your furnace is getting old or why your air conditioning bill is so expensive this month.
People shared those posts over the place. Now 60% of his customers find him on Facebook. He does not spend a lot of money on kinds of advertising like he used to because Facebook is working well for him and his new customers find him on Facebook.
Jennifer the Consultant
Jennifer left her job to work as a marketing consultant. She used LinkedIn to share what she learned about marketing. Jennifer posted on LinkedIn three times a week.
Jennifer would share her thoughts and comment on things that were happening in the marketing world. Sometimes Jennifer would even write an article, about marketing.
Six months later she had two thousand connections. She got three major clients. These clients came to her after they saw the things she was posting.
She did not have to talk to them about working they just reached out to her because of her content. The three major clients really liked what she was doing. That is why they contacted her.
Okay, So What Now?
Social media can really change your business. You can get customers and have better relationships with them. This can lead to sales, for your business.
The good thing is that you do not have to spend a lot of money like big companies do. Social media can help your business in ways.
You do not have to become a content creator away. Start with something. Choose one platform, like Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. Use that one platform.
Show up on that platform consistently even if it is three times a week. Try to be helpful to the people who are using the content creator platform. Be genuine when you are making content, for the content creator platform.
If you want to do something, the best time to start was really year. The second best time to start something is right now. Starting something now is still a good idea.
You should start doing what you want to do with your time now.
Do You Need Some Help With That?
If all of this feels too much for you or you just want someone who has been around the block to help you figure out the situation that is what the people at this place do. They are here to help you with the things that you do not know about.
The people, at this place have a lot of experience. They can help you figure out the things that are confusing you.
At OG Creative Co we help small businesses make social media plans that really work. We do not just make plans that sound good on paper. We make plans that actually work in life.
If you need help making a plan or if you need help with your social media accounts or if you just want to talk about what’s best for your business we are here to help the small businesses. OG Creative Co is here, for the businesses.
Ready to make social media work for you? Reach out to OG Creative Co, and let’s talk.