Social Media 101 for Small Businesses

Social media is beginning to become the number one marketing tool for small businesses today. Not only is it inexpensive but it is easy to use and doesn’t take much time to spread the word about your products and services.

There are multiple benefits of using social media for your small business such as being able to connect with customers, becoming more visible, and promoting your company for little or no cost.
Don’t think for one second that using social media for online marketing is a field of daisies, it can also cause social media suicide! But have no fear Paveya’s here! So get ready to take some notes because we are reviewing Social Media 101 for small businesses.

Don’t Get a Failing Grade

First things first, do you remember that saying “there is no such as bad publicity?” Well, this does not apply to those of us in the business world. Bad publicity does exist!

When it comes to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. you are constantly representing your company. Posting with poor grammar, misspelled words and even using “u” instead of taking the time to write out “you” can make your business look careless and unprofessional.

As for the saying “guilty by association,” this does apply to the business world. Be aware of the friends and likes that you have on your social media page. If you have friends who constantly post bad or inappropriate pictures or comments, know that you are guilty by association. Most of time people learn about a company and/or the people behind the company before doing business with them through their social media accounts. They will read the comments on your wall, look up your likes and start to create a mental image of you and your business based on that information.
Social media is called social media because… well… you need to be social! It is sad to say but there are so many businesses (even large businesses) on social media platforms that don’t interact with people who show an interest in their companies. This is supposed to be a place where you can gain and maintain the interest of people. If you don’t respond to people, you are basically giving them the impression that your employees are rude and don’t care about your customers.

Work Towards an A+

Conduct yourself on social media sites like you would if someone would come into your office at work. Let's say a person comes to your work place and needs your help. You would immediately assist them in a friendly manner, right? You would not wait days to get back to them, you would provide them with good customer service and help them as soon as possible. So work towards implementing that mindset into social media skills. When people post questions or comments then do your best to reply as soon as you can. Make sure that you are not "pushing" your company on people. Here at Paveya we strongly agree with the 80/20 rule: This is when 80% of your posts will be geared towards your audience and encourage replies and 20% of your posts are related to your business or promotions.
Remember that social media is supposed to be social! Remember to keep in touch with the friends and followers that you have. Responding to their tweets, comments, and replies shows them that you promote good services and demonstrate your approachability. There is a lot on the line when you decide to use social media to market your business and your reputation can either benefit from it or suffer. Use our guidelines above to ensure that you reap all the benefits of having a social media account.

Paveya is a full-service inbound marketing agency that helps their customers create leads, connect with customers and grow their business using cutting edge internet marketing.

Let’s grow! Contact us or call 855.372.8392 to discuss you social media marketing strategy.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.