Overlooking social media when marketing for your small business is a huge mistake.

Social media can be a powerful marketing tool. It is a way to engage with your customers, show your consistency, and share a little bit more about why your business can help your customer. Not only that, but it also gives your company the chance to be seen by a larger group of people. More eyes equals more potential leads.

Often times, when a company is starting out they’ll make an account on a platform that they see others doing very well in — such as Instagram or Facebook, where you can clearly see the numbers. However, is that the right platform for your business? 

Just a few of the different platforms to consider for your company:

  1. Facebook
  2. Instagram
  3. Pinterest
  4. LinkedIn
  5. Twitter
  6. Youtube
  7. TikTok

The list above is definitely more mainstream social media platforms, however, there are smaller, more niche ones that could be perfect for your company!

Each social media platform has different pros and cons and one is not better than the other. So when picking a platform to grow your company on, choose the one that will best fit your niche. For example, even though Instagram seems to be the place to post right now, keep in mind, it necessarily isn’t for everyone. There are many extremely successful companies that don’t even use Instagram.

Initial steps:

  1. Brainstorm the reasons why you want to start an account on a social media platform.
  2. What are you hoping to see from this? What results are you looking for?
  3. Write down your goals. Where do you want to be two months from now? A year? 5 years?
  4. How will you define success? The amount of followers? Shares? Engagement rate?
  5. Do the research to see what platform will best suit your company based on the results you want.
  6. Develop a plan for keeping your posts consistent.

One of the most important takeaways when doing the initial steps exercise is determining how you define success. For most, running an account can be a tedious process. It is hard to stay motivated if/when you are seeing little fruit. Inconsistency in posts or engagement will just leave your viewers lacking trust in you. In turn, they might lack trust in the consistency of your company.

Understand that social media is one of society’s main forms of communication. 

Not only is it a way to engage with your customers, but it’s also a way your customers can communicate with you as well. Through the use of liking and sharing, they can even share how much they value your company with their friends. This type of engagement is invaluable.

There are so many reasons to consider it for your company. Our hope is that you use it as a powerful marketing tool. Don’t be intimidated by it. Do some research, be consistent, engage with your customers, and ultimately grow your company!