How To Use Social Media For Your New Business
So you took the plunge and started a new business. That’s great! Its nerve wracking, exciting, intimidating but so very rewarding. You know what you are going to sell, know your products/services in and out and have mapped out your target audience. But how do you get them to know about you without spending too much? We all know how tight budgets are for startups. The answer to that is by using social media. Here are a few tips that will help do wonders to let your business be noticed.
1. Content
It is vital to have good content to share on your social media platforms. It helps develop your brand and shows your audience what services/products you have. Creating interesting, engaging content on a regular basis is hard but it gets easier as you gain experience and find your rhythm.
For service-based industries it is important to develop a sense of community, where your audience has a sense of belonging. Here people can come share their ideas, help each other solve problems on your platform. People who acknowledge that others’ needs, values, and opinions matter to them are often the most influential group members. It is a great way of networking within your industry as well.
2. Images and basic graphic design
It is a good idea to include captivating images in your social media posts. They are eye catching and help increase traffic to your platform of use. Including images means needing the use of an editor but you don’t have to spend a lot of time and money on photoshop softwares. There are plenty of free alternatives and they work just as well. Three tools we absolutely love are Canva, Pixlr Editor and Gimp. They are free, easy to use and have many tutorials on YouTube to help you get started.
3. Platform of choice
Social Media has grown into a huge opportunity for businesses. But it can get daunting to explore the different platforms, deciding where to direct your time and resources for maximum ROI. Here is a description of what each platform is good for, and you can decide which ones will work for you. It is best to use a multi-channel strategy to reach clients from different platforms they engage in.
– It has a higher audience level as compared to other platforms making it easy to attract clientele.
– It is great for engaging with different business groups.
– Awesome for brand positioning and interacting with the customer base.
– It is wonderful for professional networking and interacting with clients on a more personal level.
– It has groups and discussion boards which can be a great platform to be heard and create brand awareness.
– It is highly visual and for businesses where images are their main feature. Perfect for showcasing products and displaying your brand.
– It has a high female audience.
– Unlike other platforms Twitter is “in the moment”. It is a good platform for PR/publicity.
– It is wonderful for businesses who want to reach out to clients directly
– Focuses on one to one dialogues and conversations with customers.
So now that you have created your content it is time for posting. It is vital to know the prime time your audience is online on the different platforms to get maximum engagement. Your content is no good if it is not reaching your customer base. There is no one perfect answer, the timing of your posts depend on a variety of factors – the social media platform used, your target region, how your audience interacts on the platform. Posting the right content at the right time can do wonders for your engagement. Make sure you do enough research and find the optimal time to get maximum impressions.
Constantly keep testing your social media strategy to get the most engagement and reach your target audience. If you are in Muscat, Oman and looking to define your social media strategy, give us a call.