Morning Coffee with Gab is a weekly feature aimed to inspire and encourage small business owners to get on top of their organization’s marketing game. So before your day gets crazy, grab that cup o’ joe and give this a quick read – we’ll get your day off to a great, motivating start!
Ways To Boost Your Business’s Social Media Presence Right Now
Use images. People are visual, and if you’re only posting text or links on your social media pages then your audience will surely get bored. There’s no need for you to be a professional graphic designer who can use every Adobe program with your eyes closed, but you should be able to consistently post simple, high quality photos of your products, services, etc. Invest in a decent camera and aim for photos that spotlight your products/services in a setting and background that isn’t overly busy. Want to touch up those photos with a super easy-to-use and free photo editing program? I swear by www.picmonkey.com.
Use the power of storytelling. This is a really effective tool for your social media marketing because it’s a surefire way to persuade people and call them to action. Have you ever been sucked in to watching an entire infomercial on TV because it began with someone’s real-life story – maybe even one you could relate to somehow? That’s why infomercials work – they tell a story. Your job is to tell a story, too – it could be yours or it could be your clients’. If you own a salon, take some before-and-after shots of a client’s hair and ask them for the story behind it. Why did they want this change and why did they hire you to do it? If you own a restaurant, promote your front of house staff by telling their stories (where they went to school, what their favorite dish off the menu is, why they enjoy working there, little-known fact about them, etc.).
Be interactive. This seems like an easy one, but the sad truth is that there are too many businesses out there today that have social media pages (as well as a significant following) that have gone stale because of their lack of engagement. Listen up: If people choose to like/follow you, this means they genuinely want to hear from you. Don’t let them down. Throw out an occasional fun question of the day, survey, etc. and see what your audience has to say. Also majorly important is that if someone asks a question or makes a comment that invites your response, be sure to reply to that person in a timely fashion. In this day and age, there is such a thing as social media etiquette (which we’ll cover in another post) and it should definitely be followed.
Evoke emotion. Any content that evokes emotion from your audience is almost always more likely to generate shares or retweets. So, how do you do this? Tell stories (see above) about your customers that have a happy ending. Infuse a little bit of your personality through each of your posts, and use emotionally-charged, descriptive words. Whatever you write should light a fire in people and ultimately inspire, motivate and entertain them.
Be consistent with your posts. Two to three posts per week is ideal for a small business, but if you really want to step up your game, make it five to seven times per week and see just what happens. Come up with a list of a few creative post ideas, think a little strategically about the kind of response you want, when you should post them each, etc. and then schedule them via a social media management program such as HootSuit, Sprout or Buffer. Not feeling up to it or don’t have the time? Contact us today and we’d be happy as a clam to do this for you.
For the last decade, Hayley has been leaving her mark creatively on small, independently-owned businesses through editorial- and design-based marketing strategies. As a believer in the art of storytelling and the influence of a strong brand, her goal is to unlock the value that all small businesses possess and use it to their advantage using creative, strategic marketing methods.