How Small Businesses Can Reach Big Success… or Failure through Social Media

Posted by Media Fusion Technologies, Inc. on Tuesday, February 28, 2017

With the proper mentality, patience, dedication, and education; small businesses can experience levels of success on social media that have been impossible before now. Without those things, they can also set themselves up for failure.

My how things have changed in small-business marketing over the past decades! And all for the better most would contend. It’s astounding when you think about where we’ve come from. The only advertising that was free years ago was a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk and word of mouth from customers and friends in the local community.

Flash forward to now when a main street mom-and-pop shop can snap a photo of today’s specials written on that same sandwich sign on their sidewalk and immediately post it to hundreds and thousands of followers in their local community and around the globe through social media. But with that new-found freedom of advertising comes a wealth of challenges, confusion and disadvantages including massive competition and a quagmire of technical do’s and don’ts that vary from platform to platform… and – at times – from week to week.

So how does today’s small business owner leverage social media to his or her advantage without setting themselves up for failure?

PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER BEFORE OPENING THE DOORS

It’s been said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. So when the blinding sunlight of social media kicks your doors open, what little varmints will be scurrying for cover?  A well-planned and executed marketing campaign will drive traffic to your website. Prepare for what they will find when they get there… before they get there. You may only get one opportunity. Hire a professional website design and development company to ensure that your website meets today’s technology, responsive design formatting, and search engine optimization standards, and that it properly and professionally represents you and your business to the highest standards. Then… let the sun shine in!

KNOW WHAT PEOPLE DO… AND DON’T WANT TO SEE

Social media marketing is an art form, and with the right social media marketing solution, businesses can create brand awareness, increase traffic, and build their brand. Constantly pushing advertisements and sales copies does not work on today's increasingly social-media-savvy consumers! They’re not forced to sit through your 60-second commercial until their favorite show comes back on. They can scroll right past… or worse, unfollow and block you and make your post disappear in an instant. That means your businesses must be more strategic and creative in building relationships and providing the proper recipe of content that – while effective in promoting your brand – also educates, creates conversation and occasionally entertains your followers.

ESTABLISH TRUST AND LIKEABILITY

It’s a known and increasingly-common fact that people simply do not buy from people that they do not know, like, and trust. Today, awareness, trust, and affinity are largely built online through mobile devices and on social platforms. Long before they call you or set foot in your store, they’ve determined everything they need to know about you and your brand. Social Media is not about collecting people, it’s about connecting people. Statistics show that 71% of people state they are more likely to purchase from a brand that they follow online. But why should they follow yours?

COMMIT TO LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

Using social media effectively and efficiently requires a long-term commitment. You can’t hack it with a four week blitz and walk away and expect positive results. You need to be there for the long haul to build a strong foundation of trust, care, awareness and value. This also means that you will not get results to brag about in the first day, week, or month. Small businesses with thorough social media strategies are able to compete with much larger organizations when done correctly through a professional social media marketing company. This requires that company knowing you and your business and your target demographic. Knowing where to most effectively place your business, on which social media platforms, how often, using which hashtags and how many.

COMMIT TO DAILY ATTENTION AND IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

One of the biggest mistakes small businesses often make is to spend the time and money getting the ball built and rolling, then running to something else shiny when things get busy. Doing so with social media will get your business… yes, unfollowed quickly. Today’s social-media savvy expect to communicate with your business to receive information and support live-time through the social media platform of their choice. Most do not want to call you on the phone. That means checking email twice a day won’t cut it. It requires yourself or your employees monitoring social media channels live-time all day on your phones and replying promptly and professionally.

FOCUS ON DOING WHAT YOU DO BEST

So if you’re still reading, you may be asking yourself when you are going to find the time every day to educate yourself and pull all of this off while continuing to run your business. Don’t be discouraged. That’s primary obstacle that the majority of small business face when getting serious about social. The best advice is to focus on doing what you and your business do best, and let the social media experts focus on doing what they do best. The very real danger that you face on trying to do it all on your own is that you spread yourself far too thin to be affective at social media or at your business.

According to a new study, one in six marriages that began in the last three years has resulted from an interaction that started online. At the same time, Nielsen also reports that four out of every five corporations in America are now leveraging social media to help expand their client base and build relationships with customers. It’s no secret that social media is here to stay and that its stake in the success or failure of a business is growing larger every day.

Categories: Social Media Marketing

Tagged: social media, social media marketing, search engine optimization, responsive design, website design