Small businesses today understand that social media isn’t just a trend. They realize that the presence of social media offers many advantages, such as being able to communicate with current and prospective customers, generate leads and offer better customer service.

Choose the best social media platforms

It’s best to let your audience guide you when choosing appropriate social media platforms. Where are they most active?

Facebook is the largest platform and provides an ideal way for small businesses to build relationships and generate leads.

LinkedIn is used by many businesses to network, engage audiences, create trust and build authority.

Twitter is a good platform for sharing trending topics with an audience. It offers immediacy and works well for businesses with customers under the age of 50.

For a business with visual appeal, like those that focus on travel, art or fashion, Pinterest is a great platform and many users check out the site to plan their purchases.

The collection of brands participating on Instagram is growing daily. If you’re wondering how to get followers on Instagram it is not as difficult as you imagine. If your business makes an effort to create impressive visuals, Instagram can help you get the most out of your marketing investment.

Figure out your goals and strategies

You can’t just jump into social media without a reason or goals you want to accomplish. Goals, such as gaining customer feedback and insight or increasing your online traffic, must be clearly defined and measurable. If you want to improve customer service, your strategies will be different than if you want to drive sales.

Allocate responsibilities to each individual involved in posting on social media for your company so everyone has a clear understanding of what’s expected.

Create a comprehensive content calendar, mapping out which content to post, when to post it and where.

Find ways to engage your audience

It is not enough to just keep posting content. You need to make a connection with your audience in order to build relationships and establish trust. Share relevant information, comment on posts, participate in conversations and make sure you answer any questions. Always address inquiries or complaints and don’t forget to show your appreciation for any feedback you get.

Maintain a constant presence

You can’t afford to post in a random fashion and allow many days to lapse before posting. You need to be patient and consistent if you want to build up a reliable presence.

It is possible to use various automation tools to minimize the time and energy it takes. Software for social media marketing and management dashboard, helps you to manage all your social media in one place.

It can help you to publish a month of social content in advance and then you just have to monitor your channels for a short period every day to make sure you’re engaging in all the right conversations.

Use a consistent voice

It is crucial that each post aligns with your brand image. If everyone on the social media team brings a different flair to the task, people may battle to recognize that image. It is important to make sure that everyone on the team understands clearly what image you want to represent.

Listen to customers rather than promote

The time you spend on social media should rather be devoted to understanding your customers and their needs than promoting your products or services. Taking this approach helps you to create a loyal customer base with trust in your brand. It is only when you have developed trust that you can even consider suggesting certain products or services.