If you’re an SME or start-up, then a vital part of your marketing strategy is social media. But even the most avid user of Facebook, Twitter or Instagram feels overwhelmed when they start trying to grow a business social media presence. It’s a world of conversions, impressions, reach and engagement, and while there are tools available to help with this, you may not have the time to learn how to get to grips with what’s involved in effectively using social to grow your sapling SME into a sturdy tree with solid roots.

We’ve put together a list of some of the things that are important in social media for business purposes to help you see the wood for the trees.

Which social media is right for you?

 Your business is unique – that’s why you’ve invested so much of yourself in it. Social media is the same. Each of the big platforms has its own angle for business promotion and engagement. Everyone needs a basic Facebook business page for generating awareness, because like it or loathe it, Zuckerberg’s empire is the General Sherman of social media. But after that, should you be on Twitter, LinkedIn, SnapChat, Instagram, Pinterest…? It can be exhausting just thinking about it, so research is essential.

  • Trends – So you’ve decided which platforms to use, but what should you be posting to attract people to your business? Like all technology, social media is continually evolving and adapting to user information. By the time you’ve read this, someone will have created something new. So it’s essential to keep up to date with current trends for business social media.
  • Graphics – Having eye-catching graphics, videos and branding are essential for a business presence on social media. Videos are now one of the most effective ways of marketing online, with the average consumer spending a third of their social media time watching video content. And we all know the effect of a viral video in raising awareness.
  • #Hashtags – Using hashtags on social media for business allows customers to build a community around your products and can help build your SEO (see below). But it’s a fine art and worth looking at what similar businesses are using. You also need to create a unique brand hashtag, so research is vital. Keeping abreast of trending hashtags means you can jump in with a post as soon as something relevant to your business is happening on social media.
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – Good SEO helps to increase organic traffic to your website and is an important part of any marketing strategy in the internet era. Essentially it is about improving the quality, and the quantity of traffic to your website through finely tuned graphics, videos, content, modified HTML and coding, and social media can help add to this through links, shares, interactions and brand recognition. It’s crucial to stay on top of SEO and keep refining it because it can help your business’s website to climb higher in the…
  • SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) – When someone types criteria into a search engine and presses enter, algorithms and paid adverts will produce results on a page known as a SERP, and your goal is to get your website as close to the top of this list as possible. Not many people will trawl through several search results pages, so keeping your SEO fresh to improve your SERPs is vital. Social media helps improve your business’s SERPs position because search engines can recognise pages that have been liked on Facebook, or retweeted on Twitter, for instance.
  • Scheduling tools – There are several tools used around the world by businesses to help schedule social media posts, and it’s important to find the right one for your business. All of the different social media platforms have varying peak times when your post will reach the largest audience. Some scheduling tools just manage your drafts and publishing, some feature the ability to post at peak times across platforms, while others offer a complete package with analytics.
  • Conversions – Your ultimate aim in investing all this time and money on marketing through social media is to see conversions on your business website. Conversion goals are different for each business, so whether you aim to complete purchases, get people to sign up for your newsletter or fill out a form, understanding and implementing conversion strategies is essential for any online marketing strategy. Social media can help direct traffic to your website, so it’s necessary to know which platforms work best for your business by monitoring the conversion rates.
  • Funnel Analysis – This is a means of collecting data on your website’s conversions and determining where you might be losing customers between their initial engagement, and them taking the desired action you require of them. Research shows that social media can play a part in helping achieve conversions all the way through the process. Social media can also be a powerful way of allowing users to advocate for your business once they have engaged with you, and direct more traffic to your site via their social media circle.
  • Expert Advice – All of the above can seem daunting for start-ups and SMEs. Working with a marketing company like Koala can help give your business space to focus on the nucleus of your enterprise – your products and services. Because we tailor our approach to the unique needs of every client, we can manage all of your social media marketing, part of it, or train you how to do it effectively yourself. We analyse your business and determine which platforms will help you achieve your goals, which tools will help you analyse your marketing strategy, and how to keep using social media to engage your client base.

If you are looking for an award-winning social media marketing strategy, get in touch with koala Marketing – hello@koalamarketing.co.uk.

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