Where should you put your energy when you want to build a social media presence for your small business?
Facebook tops the list when it comes to current audience and future potential with almost 1.4 billion monthly active users in February 2015
A survey from The Creative Group reports that 76 percent of marketing executives say their company has an active presence on Facebook. In contrast, only 52 percent report activity on Twitter, 48 percent on LinkedIn and 48 percent on Google Plus. The survey also asked which social media site has the greatest potential for business. Facebook beat out the competition, mentioned by 45 percent of respondents — far ahead of second-place Google Plus, which was mentioned by just 13 percent of respondents.
The power of social media for small business is its credibility: 72 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from real people. And a whopping seven out of 10 consumers are more likely to use a local business if it makes information available on a social media site, according to localvox.com.
What do the results of these surveys mean to you? A few simple lessons stand out.
n If you are a social media novice, start small by creating a Facebook page for your business. In most cases — especially if your company sells to consumers, as opposed to other businesses — Facebook is the best place for beginners. In fact, for some small businesses, it may be the only social media presence you need (at least for now).
n Don’t get complacent once your Facebook page is up and running. Facebook dominates social media today, but it won’t always be that way. Keep your eye on up-and-comers like Pinterest and Instagram. These sites attract far fewer users at the moment. But if your business is highly visual — like a restaurant, resort, boutique, home décor store or hair salon — these image-focused social sites could be huge traffic drivers.
Spend some time every week (even better, every day) to refresh the content on your Facebook page. More than half of consumers stop following a business page due to boring or repetitive content, according to localvox.com.
n Remember that it’s called “social” media for a very good reason. Success at social media requires a different approach than pure advertising or even public relations. Instead of talking “at” your fans and followers, you need to talk with them.
Use the power of social media to understand their opinions, emotions and insights. The information you gain by holding a conversation with your customers can only improve your business in the end.
Barbara Shellman is responsible for marketing and brand strategy at Northern Lakes Financial Services. She has been a SCORE mentor for over 2 years and is co-presenter at SCORE’s digital and social media marketing workshops. To register for the May 12 workshop, “Power up Your Social Media Marketing: Advanced Techniques,” visit upnorthscore.org.
