Not sure where to begin with social media marketing?

Here are our 5 tips to help you get started…

If you’re a business owner who is still contemplating using social media marketing but you don’t know where to start, you’re surprisingly not alone!

Social media marketing is no longer a new concept. In fact, it’s now viewed as mainstream media and has seemingly replaced the ‘traditional’ forms of marketing we once saw.

Business owners generally ask:

1. Which platforms should I join?
2. How do I find connections?
3. How do I know it won’t be a complete waste of time?

Here are our 5 tips to stop you procrastinating and get you started with social media marketing:

1. You don’t need to be everywhere

You’ve probably noticed that there are so many social media platforms about. So what do they do?

• Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube – great for visuals (product/experience businesses)
• LinkedIn, Twitter or G+ – great for communication (service based businesses)

You can’t possibly be everywhere and engage well so choose what works for you. For example, I use LinkedIn and Twitter as I am a service based business. It’s about finding where like-minded people and your target market are most likely to be ‘hanging out’ and joining them.

Remember – Social Media needs to be social!

2. Finding connections

Now you’ve chosen your favourite platforms, you need to start making connections. It’s as easy as a, b, c!

1. Find people you already know as you can connect readily and kick-start your foundations.
2. Check out any blogs you follow and see what platforms they use by looking for their social media icons. You can usually click on these icons to connect.
3. Look for others’ relevant lists on Twitter and sift through for further connections. Watch for engagement of those you already follow, check out who they are talking to, and join the conversation.

3. Enjoy the platforms you choose

As with anything in business, if you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it! In order for social media to work for you, you really do need to enjoy being in that space and engaging with others.

4. Be an authority and make yourself memorable

Become the ‘go-to’ person. While keeping the platform engaging and social, you should offer tips and share content so people will keep coming back to you. It’s a great way to build your business brand and becoming known as an expert in your field.

5. Just do it!

Apologies in advance to Nike but ‘Just do it’. What a great slogan for any business.

Select one platform that you think you’ll enjoy. Check out if your target market are ‘hanging out’ there, create an account, optimise it and start building an online presence. If nothing else, social media can be a great way to direct traffic to your website.

Convinced you need social media but still not confident to do it for yourself? Why not hand over this vital business aspect to us? We can help you with the set-up of your social media accounts.

Another popular service is our ongoing support services as business owners learn the value of social media but due to the success it’s bought them, they need a hand to maintain their online presence.