Social Media has become an essential tool for small businesses. Allowing them to connect with their target audience, build brand awareness, and increase overall business growth. Starting your business’s social media pages can be difficult and feel overwhelming; use these dos and don’ts to help you get started.
Social Media Dos & Don’ts
The Dos:
1. Keep your profile up to date and fully completed:
Make sure your social media pages are always up to date with accurate information. This includes adding a profile picture, a compelling business description, your business location, and relevant links. By doing this, you’ll establish credibility and make it easier for customers to reach out to you.
Pro Tip: Have 3-6 posts planned out before you create your profile. You don’t want any followers or customers to see an empty page when they click on your profile.
2. Use various posting formats:
Using a variety of posting formats is a great way to keep your content fresh and engaging. For example, when creating content for an Instagram account, you can make regular image-based posts, video reels and stories. Using each of these formats will help you to engage with your audience in different ways and help you build your skills in different forms of content creation.
3. Test out and try new things:
Social media platforms are constantly changing, and updates to their algorithms mean the content that performs the best is also constantly changing. Experimenting with different types of content is a great way to see what your target audience connects with most. Some examples of content you can test out are giveaways of your products or gift cards, a behind-the-scenes series showing what the day-to-day is like at your business, and a pro tips series of posts that show your customers how to get the most value out of your product or service.
The Don’ts:
1. Expect instant results:
Building success on social media takes time and consistent effort. It’s important to set realistic expectations and understand that meaningful results will take time to happen. Be patient, stay committed, and focus on building genuine connections with your audience. Measure your progress by setting achievable goals and tracking key metrics to evaluate your growth and success.
2. Compare yourself to other businesses:
Each business has its journey to take on social media, with unique challenges and circumstances. Remember that every company has its strengths and weaknesses, so what might work for one may not work for you. Your success should be measured against your own goals and objectives.
3. Spam your followers:
One common mistake is bombarding your followers with excessive posts, which can lead to annoyance and unfollows. Respect your audience’s time and attention by maintaining a balanced posting frequency. On platforms like Facebook and Instagram, aim for a maximum of one post per day, ensuring that each post adds value and relevance to your audience.
4. Steal images:
When sharing content on social media, respecting copyright laws and intellectual property is crucial. Avoid using images or videos without proper authorization or licensing. Make use of royalty-free stock image websites, create your own original content, or seek explicit permission when using content from other sources.