Business owners often don’t understand the importance of social media. Yes, when teenagers are posting selfies on their Facebook pages, it’s easy to think that Facebook is for “the kids.” But here’s a reality check: More than a billion people are on Facebook and, unlike TV advertising, businesses can target them based on very specific aspects of their lives. Business owners should think of their brands’ social media as their own “channels,” in much the way that TV channels work: the more good, interesting content you put out there, the more likely people are to latch on to you, follow you and engage with you.
Of course, social media also means there’s much more room for glut – but it’s also a place for small businesses to defy the odds through clever marketing strategies. Here are some key takeaways for small business owners to help maximize their social media exposure.

1. Yes, You Need to Be on Social Media.

Regardless of a business’s size, being active on social media can only help your company. If you think people aren’t interested about, say, commercial plumbing services in Reno, Nevada, you’re wrong: people tweet and post about nearly every topic imaginable. Plus, social media is a great opportunity to field customer service inquires.

Businesses that still aren’t sure about social can implement testing strategies to determine social success, but be forewarned: as the world becomes more and more digital, there will be more and more reasons to be on social media.

2. No, You Don’t Need to Be on Every Social Media Outlet.

[quote]A company that specializes in SEO doesn’t necessarily need to be on Pinterest and Instagram, particularly if the business’s customers aren’t on Pinterest and Instagram.[/quote]Business owners have limited bandwidth, and with such an influx of social media outlets, no one expects a business owner to be on all of them. In fact, doing so could actually cause harm, because in trying to build communities on all of them, a business owner could essentially fail to cultivate a community on any of them. What’s the best way to deal with this? Select your small business’s first social media outlet carefully, and expand from there. Typically, companies will first look to Facebook or Twitter, and can expand once they’ve established a routine and a community on one of those sites.

3. You Might Want to Put a Few Bucks Into Social Advertising.

Companies that aren’t experimenting with social ads could see if a social ad strategy works for them. Facebook ads are hyper-targeted and can offer, for some businesses, a high return on investment for carefully crafted ads. The same goes for Twitter.

However, for some companies, Facebook ads may not make sense. For example, due to stiff competition, searches related to car insurance have a high premium on keywords. However, other outlets such as Reddit and Pinterest offer ads that may be a better fit for brands with competitive keywords.

These tips can help small businesses build their communities, ultimately leading to better brand engagement. The team at our Florida advertising agency has even more tips to help you build your brand, so contact us for more information on how to build your brand’s social media strategy!