Social Media Marketing Checklist For Small Businesses
Even after years of becoming a part of most people's everyday lives, social media still feels so new and shiny. Its creators are constantly updating their apps with new features, and new social media platforms are constantly being added to the mix and gaining downloads from hundreds of thousands of people (hey, TikTok!). So it's completely understandable that small businesses are eager to join and earn the benefits joining will bring them. And it's also completely understandable that some things are holding them back, such as the question: where do they start?
Many businesses just join the app, post photos, and hope for the best. But even if you gain some likes, that doesn't mean you're gaining loyal customers and clients. In order to create a community that loves your business and wants to recommend it to their friends, you have to have a plan.
This checklist will provide you with a very simple plan that you can start executing immediately.
Step One: Set Goals
Your immediate answer might be this: I want to increase sales. And that goal is completely valid and possible in the future. But if you're reading this blog, then it is likely that the more realistic and achievable goal at the moment is this: to increase brand awareness.
This goal is for businesses just starting out on social media (or businesses who have been on social media but haven't had much reach yet). To eventually increase your sales, you're going to need to spread the word about your business, your products, and your services.
If you believe that many people are already aware of your business, other goals will include: increasing your engagement, increasing website clicks, and increasing sales.
The goal you choose will determine the type of content you create and how successful your content is - so choose wisely!
Need content ideas that will help you to achieve these goals? We can help you with that! Click the button below to see our Brand Identity Development service.
Step Two: Choose Your Social Media Platforms
You can be on all of them, but we don't recommend it. Ultimately, you will be splitting up your time on all of them and your content will suffer because of it. Therefore, we recommend narrowing your list down to an amount that you can manage. In other words: which platforms will you be able to regularly post on and interact on? Here are the benefits of each popular platform:
Facebook: It has the most people on it, so you're very likely to find your target audience here. It also has an amazing advertising platform and interactive features that your followers will enjoy.
Instagram: Instagram offers an amazing platform to show powerful visuals that will create a positive impact on your followers. It is also a platform that is constantly being updated with new and exciting features.
LinkedIn: This platform allows you to reach business-oriented individuals. So if you're targeting other business owners, businesses, and professionals, then this is the platform for you!
Twitter: This platform is great for connecting with Millennials, people with higher education, and developing all-around excellent customer service.
YouTube: So many people go on YouTube every day. This is a brilliant platform for businesses that create video content.
Pinterest: Pinterest is another great image-based platform that generates a lot of website traffic if you use it right.
TikTok: TikTok's algorithm currently is excellent for organic growth - so if you're looking for easy reach, this is the place to be.
For platform-specific guidance, feel free to download our FREE strategy guides.
Step Three: Create Engaging Content
What engaging content looks like changes depending on whichever platform you choose, but ultimately these things stay the same:
It has to serve your audience. Think about whether your audience will find the content useful, funny, entertaining, inspirational, or educational.
It has to be visually appealing. The visual should be crisp and clear; the caption shouldn't feel clunky or overwhelming.
For more platform-specific advice, we again encourage you to download our FREE guides. Currently, we have some for Instagram, Instagram Reels, Facebook, and TikTok.
Note: if you want a free guide on a different platform, comment down below! We're always open to feedback.
Step Four: Promote Your Content
This step can really give your content the boost it needs. While you can generate reach and impressions solely on the platforms of you're choosing, you can also add links to your social media platforms on your website and your emails. For example, on our website, you will see links to our social media platforms in our navigation menu and our footer. We also give the same advice to each of our clients who ask us to improve/create their websites.
And if you're subscribed to our newsletter, you'll also find links to our social media in the email footers, as well.
This process is called cross-promotion and is so easy to achieve that there is no reason to not do it.
Step Five: Engage, Engage, Engage
Don't just post and leave! To have a community, you need to engage in it. This means replying to all of your comments, following people who share your mission and values, commenting under your followers' posts, sharing other people's content, and more.
This might take a bit of extra time, but it will be worth it. People will see you as more than just another business online. They will even see you as a friend - and friends support each other.
So set some time aside to engage with your followers and even people who don't follow you yet.
Step Six: Check The Analytics
Your analytics offer you the powerful opportunity to stay ahead of the game. You will be able to see which of your posts do well, which you should never post again because they're performing badly, what trend is gaining traction, what trend is starting to lose traction, and more.
If you don't check your analytics, you will find yourself wasting time creating content that doesn't help your brand at all. So while the metrics might not be pretty or exciting, they are absolutely necessary and should not be ignored.
Step Seven: Get In Touch With An Expert
We know, you wanted to do this yourself - but a social media expert can provide you with knowledge and insights that you won't find in a blog aimed at a general audience. Social media marketing experts will go into your analytics, review your business and your unique brand, and develop a strategy for you that will be insanely beneficial.
Want to know how Empowered Social Media can help you? Schedule a free consultation with us. We can look over your social media and inform you how it can be improved. Click the button below.
