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Small Business Social Media 101

by | Jun 13, 2022 | Small Business Marketing, Social Media

Welcome to the next and final installment of the GreenCup Digital Marketing Series. This last article in our series takes a deep dive into one of the most mysterious and potentially time-consuming elements of all digital marketing: social media management. Social media has long held the title of one of the fastest-growing industries in the digital world. From new, creative platforms designed to inspire viral content, to feature rollouts within popular social media networks, digital networking sites work around the clock to capture eyes and ultimately, dollars. 

What are the general public’s feelings about all this time and energy being devoted behind the scenes to social media? 

Well, to put it bluntly….they love it. 

 

72% of Americans used social media in 2021. That number is only expected to climb over the next decade. Social media clearly plays a huge role in connecting people and groups to one another. With billions in advertising revenue reported from both Facebook and Instagram each year, it’s also an undisputed fact social media heavily influences consumer behavior and business success. 

How can your business capitalize on that billion-dollar social media revenue while staying true to your values and leaving enough time to manage everything else? The formula is simple: 

Quality Content + Consistent Content + Regular Health Checks = Rockstar Social Media Management 

Quality Content 

The ultimate goal of establishing a business social media account is to draw your audience to your website, right? We hate to break it to you, but a timeline filled with Star Wars memes and cool facts about sharks likely isn’t going to generate sales. Sure, it’s great to break up calls-to-action and advertising posts with a little fun now and again, but your time is valuable –  and so is your audience’s. Take every chance you have to not only sell your business but explain why your business is unique, how it came to be (everyone loves a good origin story!), and how your business is the best solution to your audience’s problem. This means making sure even the fun, lighthearted posts are business-related…so unless you’re a shark in the spaceship-making business, save the unrelated content for your personal page.

Struggling with how to craft the perfect social media posts? We’ve got something special for you. Check out GreenCup Digital’s free Content Prompt download for 30 days of creative, audience-capturing content prompts. These prompts help guide your content in a transformative, engaging way that translates to sales and repeat customers. They’re useful for social media, blog posts, and e-newsletters, too!

Consistency Counts

Like it or not, social media is a tool we all use to relax, research, and reveal information to one another. We pop on social media multiple times a day – which means as a business owner, you are given multiple chances each day to land your products or services in front of the people who need them. You’re given unlimited moments to spread brand awareness and ensure your content aligns across all platforms so your customers can easily see and recognize your business mid-scroll. 

Don’t miss your opportunity to connect with your audience by posting intermittently. Not only does a sluggish social media presence translate to lower sales, but it communicates halfhearted availability to your customers. Customers leave feedback, reviews, and comments at all hours of the day; an irregular social media presence hinders your ability as a business owner to engage, correct mistakes, and respond to your customers. It also interrupts your place and priority in social media algorithms, distances you from your customer’s needs, and makes it impossible for you to stay present. On the flip side, adhering to a consistent posting schedule gives your audience something to look forward to and allows you to keep a finger on the pulse of your social media engagement. 

Regular Health Checks

Remember those billion-dollar ad figures we mentioned earlier? Social media developers want your business on their platforms. They want you to engage, product quality, consistent content, and spend money advertising that content on their platform. That’s why they build tools into their platforms for you to check the health and effectiveness of your social media campaigns. From reporting to metrics, you’re given all the tools you need to successfully track your engagement, post reach, and impressions. Check your social media health and wellness at least once a week, adjust your strategy when needed, and keep the end goal in mind when developing your content. With enough dedication and flexibility, these quick pulse checks can lead to revenue-boosting connections. 

Scheduling Tools

It can all be a bit intimidating, can’t it? Running reports, developing content, hammering out a consistent post schedule…the hours needed to successfully manage your social media accounts undoubtedly add up – and you haven’t even begun physically posting yet! Luckily, a few free tools are available to help navigate the murky waters of social media scheduling. Some of the most popular tools include scheduling apps like Later, Hootsuite, and Buffer. 

Pros to Scheduling Apps:

  • Consistent, clean schedule capabilities
  • “Best time to post” suggestions
  • Built-in tracking and reporting
  • Easy to find and recycle evergreen content
  • Saves time you’d otherwise need to spend physically posting to multiple platforms

Cons to Scheduling Apps: 

  • You still need to create quality content
  • Suggestions for “best time to post” aren’t customized to your specific business
  • Most useful reports often require a monthly subscription fee
  • Each tool has a learning curve and requires regular check-ins on yet another system
  • Scheduler limitations (Later, for example, cannot schedule Instagram Reels)

While helpful, these scheduling tools don’t come close to fulfilling the main objective of a social media campaign – generating sales and revenue from consistent, quality content. The bulk of social media work is finding the time and creativity to capture your audiences through unique posts and content. That’s where GreenCup Digital comes in. 

 

Interested in skyrocketing your social media presence in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of independent effort? Connect with GreenCup Digital’s social media services for a customized look into how to enhance both your reach and your engagement. We offer all the “pros” of social media scheduling apps without the “cons” or time-consuming learning curve – and most importantly, we free up your future by developing content for you! Our social media team partners with you through detailed social media audits and tailor-made content designs. Take social media off your endless to-do list and let us boost your audience reach while you focus on the parts of your business you enjoy the most. Schedule your free exploration call here!

About the Author

Kendra Higgins

Kendra can tell what button you’ll push. She loves to create the best user experience for her clients, and drive the leads you need with actionable landing pages. Basically living a double life, you can also find her chasing chickens around her homestead.