Small businesses and social media marketing
Social media marketing is so popular simply because it is so versatile. Just about any type or size of business can use it as an advertising tool. What determines the success of your profile is not so much your size or popularity, but it is where you choose to advertise. If you are a small business owner then there are a few things to consider when it comes to social media marketing.
Location, location, location
You wouldn't put a poster for a rock concert in a boutique specializing in baby clothes would you? So why should your online advertising be any different? The most important aspect when it comes to social media marketing for small businesses is to choose your location well. Big businesses can generally afford to spread their resources so location isn't an issue for them. For the smaller businesses there are limited resources so the site on which you decide to advertise needs to be appropriate. Think about your niche and your target market in order to find the perfect site.
Build relationships
Because your business is small, chances are it doesn't have the stellar brand recognition and trust that bigger businesses have. This means that you have to work extra hard to get your message across. Luckily, social media marketing is all about establishing relationships with the people who visit your site. All you have to do is ensure that you read what they have to say and respond to them. Make sure your profile appears inviting and engaging.
Promoting your business
It may seem strange but getting onto the social media platform is not enough. In fact, once you have established your profile you have to go on promoting your business. You can use one of the traditional ways to do this. This includes competitions and special promotional gift packs, which are always crowd favorites. Then you can make use of the dedicated advertising opportunities you get on social networking sites. This allows you to advertise through groups, events, content, as well as applications. Try as far as possible to make your approach interesting and unique so that you can compete with the bigger businesses.
Get together with other small businesses
If you thought you were the smallest business around you would be mistaken. There are many like you who are looking to enter the world of social media marketing but fear that they are just too small to have any sort of impact. The good news is that by collaborating with them you can pool together ideas and be successful enough to compete with bigger businesses. There are certain websites online dedicated to businesses that are looking to do something like this. If you have no luck there, then you can always look for these businesses on the social networking site itself.
Get together with big businesses
There are so many advantages to pairing up with a bigger business. Because they are so big they have a loyal client base that you can tap into. They probably became so big because they are well known with great brand awareness. Because they are so big they can afford to pair up and take the risk with a smaller business. The key is to find the right sort of bigger business to link with and make the partnership interesting by way of promotions or competitions. Once you have established yourself online you can choose to break away and go it alone.