Let’s roll!<\/p>\n
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Why use social media for business?<\/h2>\n
Let\u2019s peel this back a bit. Why should entrepreneurs and SMBs be using social media? To be successful on social, you\u2019ll need to be able to answer this one fundamental question first: Why does your business exist?<\/strong><\/p>\n Take a crossfit gym, for example. At the most basic level, it\u2019s a gym with some specific types of equipment and training methods. Dig a little further, though, and their business mission (and reason for existence), could be to help people become happier, healthier, and stronger versions of themselves using positive encouragement and support. Their actions, messaging, and content will follow suit.<\/p>\n Your business mission is what makes you unique, and platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube are great places to connect with your audience and communicate that mission.<\/p>\n Through carefully curated content, you can tell the world who your company is and why they should care. In other words, social media = free exposure!<\/p>\n Social media is where people go to connect, learn, and share their stories. The importance of social media in business can be astronomical.<\/p>\n In fact,\u00a0email, website, and social media are the top three marketing tools<\/a>\u00a0used by small businesses: 54% use email, 51% have a website, and 48% use social media.<\/p>\n Why? According to some of the latest stats, people are devoting a large portion of their days to scrolling, engaging, and consuming content on social. Since 2017, daily social media usage of total global internet users amounted to 135 minutes per day<\/a>.<\/p>\n People are spending A LOT of time on social media apps, so it makes sense for you to explore how it could work for your business. Don\u2019t expect your customers to come to you \u2013 you have to go to them.<\/p>\n You\u2019re trying to figure out how to do social media marketing, but first, you need to figure out what social platforms to focus on. Where you show up is almost as important as how you do it!<\/p>\n Remember: You don\u2019t need to attack every social channel at full force. And let\u2019s face it, the thought of running accounts on multiple social media channels may be headache-inducing \u2013 especially if you\u2019re a team of one!<\/p>\n \u2013 Kate vanderVoort, Take10 Social\u00a0<\/div><\/cite><\/p>\n One of the easiest ways to figure out which platforms you should focus on is by taking a look at your audience and your competitors. What are their interests? Where do they spend the most time online? Use this research as a starting point for your social strategy.<\/p>\n Pick 2-3 platforms to start, and really dedicate time to learning and executing to the best of your ability.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a breakdown of the most popular social networks and the benefits they have for small businesses.<\/p>\n The main pro of this social media platform is the number of active users, totalling over 1 billion daily<\/a>. That\u2019s a massive audience!<\/p>\n But with such power comes restrictions. Today, an effective Facebook strategy requires finesse, creativity, and ideally… a budget.<\/em><\/p>\n If you want your content to be surfaced (and noticed) in Facebook\u2019s newsfeed, but don\u2019t have money to put towards it, try native video.<\/p>\n Native video = video posted directly to the platform (not as a link out to YouTube or Vimeo)<\/strong><\/p>\n Facebook loves native video because it keeps people on the platform for longer. Just think about the last time you scrolled through your feed\u2026what did you notice? Autoplaying video!<\/p>\n This is an excellent tactic for small companies looking to make a splash and get some immediate engagement. The good news is your video doesn’t have to be professional quality \u2014 it can be a quick tip, insight, or report from an event recorded on your phone.<\/p>\n Another one of Facebook\u2019s biggest draws for users is the ability to search, join, and form groups. If someone\u2019s interested in learning to cook Japanese food but lives in rural Mississippi, Facebook can help them to find and connect with like-minded people from across the globe.<\/p>\n Facebook groups = online communities<\/strong><\/p>\n As a business starting out, finding relevant groups can help you build up your business and form relationships with your community. For example, Rhino Crossfit Centre could start a group dedicated to sharing health, fitness, and wellness tips, along with relevant events and promotions.<\/p>\n – Daniel Grimmett, Making a Living Producing\u00a0<\/div><\/cite><\/p>\n What started as a photographer-focused platform for sharing pretty photos is now used by over 500 million people every day<\/a>. Yes…Instagram is also a behemoth of a social network!<\/p>\n But unlike Facebook, Instagram still likes to show business account content in the user feed. And not only that, but these posts see A LOT more engagement.<\/p>\n In fact, Instagram images get, on average, 23% more engagement than their Facebook counterparts, according to\u00a0AdEspresso<\/a>.<\/p>\n Businesses also use Instagram Stories, which is smart considering 80% of all daily active Instagram users are watching stories<\/a>. These posts (which can be images or videos) vanish after 24 hours, unless you pin them as highlights to your profile.<\/p>\n From sharing company culture videos to promoting marketing campaigns to driving e-commerce sales through product demos, there are plenty of ways you can use Instagram stories for business.<\/p>\n Overall, Instagram is a great platform to help promote your business, especially if you have a product or service with compelling visuals.<\/p>\n Many organizations spend the bulk of their time developing and optimizing campaigns for Instagram and Facebook, but neglect Pinterest. Depending on your company and goals, this could be a missed opportunity.<\/p>\n \u2013 Liza Tinker, The Content Hub <\/div>\u00a0<\/cite><\/p>\n Pinterest is essentially one massive visual search engine, helping to distribute your content, and ultimately improve your SEO. You can create pins for your blog content (e.g. condensed lists or quotes) or videos to help drive more traffic to your site.<\/p>\n Twitter has had its highs and lows over the years, but has managed to grow its active users every year, and is an excellent platform for sharing quick news, ideas, and opinions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also a good place to post company updates on the fly and create a more personable rapport with your audience.<\/p>\n On Twitter, many companies are willing to toss the formalities out the door, and speak like people at the company speak \u2013 openly and honestly. Wendy\u2019s does a great job of this, and continues to produce hilarious and clever tweets!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a company that has a lot to say \u2014 or if you\u2019re passionate about a cause \u2014 Twitter could be the platform for you! You can also use Twitter to get insights and direct feedback from customers (and potential customers) by finding hashtags that relate to your business to broaden your community.<\/p>\n LinkedIn is known as a platform more useful for B2B (Business to Business) marketing, than B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing. Companies also use it for recruitment purposes, which makes sense, considering users set up their profiles for hiring and networking purposes.<\/p>\n \u2013 Christopher Schoenwald, The Passion Fashioned Presenter <\/div><\/cite><\/p>\n Compared to other platforms, LinkedIn has the potential to reach all of your page followers. They don\u2019t have a crazy algorithm that only displays the top ten accounts a person interacts with, so visibility is much better here (for now).<\/p>\n Similar to Facebook, there are tons of groups on LinkedIn that can be useful if you\u2019re a consulting business or B2B service. Join the conversation and make connections through these groups to help grow and develop your community (and hopefully drive more sales, too!).<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a company that can show off its product or service through video marketing \u2014 and you don’t mind being on camera! \u2014 then YouTube is worth exploring. You can use it as a tool to embed videos on your website or blog<\/a>, but also as a place to interact with a wider audience.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s a tutorial, product\/service highlight, or something made purely for entertainment, be prepared to compete for attention. Around 300 hours of video<\/a>\u00a0are uploaded to YouTube every minute. The good thing is that people love to watch, with almost 5 billion videos viewed per day<\/a>.<\/p>\n To start out, try a few short and straightforward videos, like \u201chow-tos\u201d and vlog style tips pieces. You don\u2019t need a fancy professional camera and audio equipment either \u2014 start by using your smartphone!<\/p>\n Once you’ve taken a closer look at the major social platforms, think about how each one relates to your target audience before running full force at the social media obstacle course. And again, don’t feel you have to create accounts on every channel \u2014 pick one or two to focus your efforts on to start.<\/p>\n Of course, not every business uses social media the same way. What they post, where they decide to show up, and how they engage can differ dramatically from one industry to the next. Let\u2019s take a look at two different cases.<\/p>\n We have the wedding photographer \u2013 let\u2019s call her business Tara James Photography. How she uses and interacts on social depends on her company mission (why it exists), as well as her product or service offering.<\/p>\n Tara James Photography will use social media to help share her work and promote her services, which include wedding, portrait, and engagement photography. Her posts will contain a mix of:<\/p>\n <\/div>\n Each platform will contain a mix of content, depending on the platform\u2019s strengths. For example, Instagram may be primarily a portfolio of her photos, whereas Twitter and Facebook will include her photos, plus tips and posts about her schedule openings.<\/p>\n Then we\u2019ve got Rhino Crossfit Centre, which offers both services and products. Their service is crossfit personal training and memberships, while their products are branded workout gear and water bottles.<\/p>\n This type of business has a high potential for repeat customers, which influences what Rhino Crossfit shares on social. They want to keep their current customers engaged, constantly.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve got a schedule of posts that includes:<\/p>\n <\/div>\n What if your company only sells products, not services (a.k.a your time and experience)? Abeja is a sustainable clothing company that uses only ethical labor and environmentally friendly materials. For every clothing item purchased, they put $5 towards bee conservation, and add a cute sachet of flower seeds to your shipment so you can plant your own bee-friendly garden.<\/p>\n Abeja’s social content will include a mix of:<\/p>\n <\/div>\n As you can see, these three companies use social media differently, all in alignment with their mission and offerings.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to determine a few things to figure out how you\u2019ll be showing up on social.<\/p>\n Creating and curating content can be one of the most challenging parts about successfully executing on social media. How can you come up with fresh posts every day?<\/p>\n As mentioned above, you can\u2019t just choose content on a whim and post at random. You need to really understand your customer and cater your posts to that type of person.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to decide your brand\u2019s visual style. A great starting point is to create a mood board and start picking some imagery that matches the style you\u2019re looking to portray.<\/p>\n Similar to our tone of voice guide, once you\u2019ve got a few visuals that fit your style, try to find some free imagery that\u2019s the EXACT OPPOSITE of that so you (and anyone helping you on social media) know what images to avoid.<\/p>\n Having this range will help your business keep consistency across all touch points, and guide the way to developing a distinct visual identity.<\/p>\n In the case of Rhino Crossfit Centre, the posts will contain a variety of images, videos, and graphics centred around fitness, health, and community.<\/p>\n We\u2019re lucky to live in a time where free or cheap stock imagery exists, and where customers and fans are happy to create content for brands.<\/p>\n You can shoot your own photos and videos, or create custom graphics on tools like Adobe Spark, but it\u2019s also cost and time-effective to use stock imagery if you have guidelines around what to use and not use.<\/p>\n Sites like Unsplash<\/a> offer free photos for all to use, commercially. The image above is from a quick search for workout pictures. Stocksy<\/a> or Adobe Stock<\/a> are also good paid options if you\u2019re looking for more particular images that you can\u2019t find on the free stock sites, and are unable to shoot\/create yourself.<\/p>\n And when it comes to sharing articles, you also don\u2019t always have to create your own from scratch. Try using a tool like Feedly<\/a> to find relevant articles to post on Twitter or LinkedIn.<\/p>\n Another great way to get free and organic content is through your customers. Depending on your business offering, asking your customers to take and share images\/videos of your product or service can be a great way to stockpile content to share on your social feeds.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t only think about visual content: sending out post-purchase surveys to gather quotes and testimonials helps you create compelling content that\u2019s quick to source and gives your brand more clout. People trust reviews! Try putting on a social contest or challenge to encourage your customers to share and promote your business.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got your brand looking consistent, you need to make sure everything else you post, say, or comment on social media follows in line with this thinking.<\/p>\n If you have multiple people in the company writing copy for social, or if you\u2019re working with a social media agency, make sure that there\u2019s an outline for how the company voice should sound. A good starting point is writing out some examples of on-brand copy versus off-brand copy.<\/p>\n For example, if Rhino Crossfit was creating copy for a social post to help promote their 20% off holiday discount on fitness classes, here are two variations of what that could sound like:<\/p>\n On-brand<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTis the season for giving. As a special thank you for being on this journey with us, we\u2019re giving out 20% off all fitness packages until January 1, 2019. #happyholidays from the Rhino fam!\u201d<\/p>\n Off-brand<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s getting colder, you\u2019ve lost the motivation for that #beachbod, and we\u2019re all busy stuffing our faces with holiday cookies and mulled wine (we know you are, don\u2019t deny it). It\u2019s time to lose those pesky holiday LBs… get 20% off all fitness packages until January 1, 2019! #fitfam\u201d<\/p>\n Depending on your company, either of these captions could work. One is positive, friendly, and encouraging. The other is more blunt, humorous, and guilt-focused.<\/p>\n Because Rhino Crossfit Centre\u2019s whole mission is to \u201chelp people become happier, healthier, and stronger versions of themselves using positive encouragement and support,\u201d the first example is more on brand for them!<\/p>\n One of the most basic rules of branding<\/a> on social media is to use the same social media handle<\/a> on all platforms, as well as the same profile photo. This makes your brand clear, distinct, and easier to find.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t get your exact name on all channels, don\u2019t worry \u2014 there are options. For example, if you can\u2019t get \u201c@RhinoCrossfit\u201d everywhere (which is likely), then you can try something like \u201c@ItsRhinoCrossfit.\u201d<\/p>\n Other popular social handle extensions you can add to your name include:<\/p>\n Using the same profile image is an easy way to bring consistency to all your social accounts. Brands will often choose a symbol or monogram for this small space instead of forcing viewers to squint and figure out what exactly the logo says. (Psst \u2014 Looka’s Social Media Kit<\/a> comes with resized versions of your logo for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more.)<\/p>\n Cover and header photos are prime real estate on your Facebook and Twitter pages, as they\u2019re often the first thing people will notice when they check out your profile. Using a banner that makes sense for your brand will help your business look professional and organized.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to make sure your cover and header photos are in the same color family as your logo; they should also coordinate with your profile photo.<\/p>\n Both profile photos and banners don\u2019t always have to stay same, either \u2014 as long as they\u2019re consistent!<\/p>\n To keep your social accounts fresh, try switching your cover or header photos every few months or seasonally. You can also take advantage of your cover photo to promote a hashtag, campaign, or initiative. (Read more about social media branding<\/a>.)<\/p>\n So, here\u2019s what we\u2019ve covered so far:<\/p>\n <\/div>\n Now, it\u2019s time to build out a schedule.<\/p>\n Schedules keep you on track and help you achieve your business goals! Here\u2019s an idea of an eventual posting cadence you should aim for on each particular platform:<\/p>\n If this sounds like a lot, don\u2019t worry! Companies with a full social and content team would follow this type of schedule, but if you\u2019re just starting out, spend as much time as you\u2019re able. If you find one platform is bringing in more business or engagement, then put more time and focus into that.<\/p>\n There are free tools out there to help you organize your posting schedule, and also tools that\u2019ll help you do the posting (like Hootsuite or Buffer).<\/p>\n One of the simplest ways to make sure you\u2019re on top of having posts planned out ahead of time is by creating a Google Sheet with a corresponding Google Drive folder filled with the accompanying images.<\/p>\n On Facebook, you may be posting seven times a week, whereas Instagram will be one post per day plus a few Stories throughout the week. You can have these posts outlined a week or two ahead of time so that when it comes time to put the posts up, you\u2019ve got everything you need.<\/p>\n Posting semi-regularly about your business isn\u2019t enough to maintain the interest of your followers. And if you\u2019re just throwing content into the wind and hoping some of it resonates with your followers, then you\u2019re doing it wrong.<\/p>\n The best way to gain popularity and increase visibility on social media platforms is by engaging your audience with quality content that answers the main pain points of your customers (and a broader audience).<\/p>\n \u2013 Kate vanderVoort, Take10 Social <\/div>\n Read on to learn how to manage your social media to increase online engagement from potential consumers.<\/p>\n The ability to build and raise your brand\u2019s social media presence \u2014 and execute the same visual aesthetic across social channels \u2014 has become a major asset to a growing company. But without monitoring your success, it\u2019s hard to improve your social marketing!<\/p>\n Most social networks actually have free built-in analytics for you to use. You\u2019ll need to make sure your profile is set up as a business account first, though (don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s free). You can track engagement, reach, followers, and much more!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s where you can find analytics on the major social platforms:<\/p>\n Twitter<\/strong>: Tap on your profile icon, and scroll down to Analytics<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Instagram<\/strong>: Go to your profile, tap on the menu icon, and hit Insights<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Facebook<\/strong>: Click on the gear wheel on your Facebook Fan Page, and select View Insights<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n LinkedIn<\/strong>: Go to your account and click the Analytics<\/strong> tab in the navigation bar.<\/p>\n Pinterest<\/strong>: To get to your profile analytics, click Your Pinterest<\/strong> profile at the top of Pinterest Analytics<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example of what some audience insights on Instagram analytics looks like for business accounts:<\/p>\n Take time to check your analytics each week and see what posts are performing best \u2014 then add more of those types of post to your schedule!<\/p>\n![\"positive](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04142226\/victor-freitas-569958-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGo to where your audience spends time<\/h3>\n
\nChoose the best social media channels for your business<\/h2>\n
Look at your audience and competitors<\/h3>\n
![\"using](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04125925\/Multiple-iphone-devices.png\")
<\/p>\nFacebook<\/h3>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04112454\/facebookimage-01-1024x677.png\")
<\/p>\nInstagram<\/h3>\n
Pinterest<\/h3>\n
Twitter<\/h3>\n
![\"Funny](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04112459\/twitterimage-01-1024x677.png\")
<\/figure>\nLinkedIn<\/h3>\n
\nPlan how you’ll use social media to meet business goals<\/h2>\n
How a photographer uses social media<\/h3>\n
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![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04130128\/Photographer-Social-Matrix-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHow a crossfit gym uses social media<\/h3>\n
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![\"personal](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04130122\/Crossfit-Social-Matrix-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHow a charitable clothing brand uses social media<\/h3>\n
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![\"clothing](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04130110\/Clothing-Social-Matrix-1024x1024.jpg\")
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\nDecide what content you’ll create and curate<\/h2>\n
Imagery and visual style<\/h3>\n
![\"social](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04130123\/Crossfit-Social-Mood-Board-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSourcing visual content<\/h3>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04112501\/unsplashimage-01-1024x677.png\")
<\/p>\nTone of voice<\/h3>\n
\nBrand your social media channels<\/h2>\n
Social handles<\/h3>\n
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Profile photos and banners<\/h3>\n
![\"Using](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04130113\/crossfit-brand-on-social-media-iphone-1024x659.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Using](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04130120\/crossfit-brand-social-media-on-mac-1024x659.png\")
<\/p>\n
\nBuild a schedule<\/h2>\n
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![\"Using](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04112457\/googleimage-01-1024x677.png\")
<\/p>\nPost quality over quantity<\/h3>\n
\nMonitor your progress<\/h2>\n
![\"Instagram](\"https:\/\/cdn.logojoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/04130126\/Instagram-Analytics-examples-1024x667.png\")
<\/p>\nImage source: Media Street<\/a><\/h6>\n
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