The Basics of Getting Your Business Started on Social Media (or Increasing Your Presence)

Are you wondering if your business is doing enough on social media? Social media platforms provide businesses with the opportunity to reach and engage with a large audience of potential customers. Through social media, businesses can build brand awareness, connect with their audience, promote their products or services, and drive traffic to their websites. Social media is also an excellent way for businesses to gain customer insights, monitor brand reputation, and provide customer support.

Beyond organic social media, paid social media also offers a cost-effective way for businesses to advertise and promote their offerings. Unlike traditional advertising methods, such as print or television ads, social media advertising allows businesses to target specific demographics and interests, ensuring that their messages reach the right people.

In short, social media provides businesses with a range of benefits that can help them grow and succeed in today’s digital age. However, you need to develop a thoughtful and strategic social media plan that aligns with your business goals and values in order to be effective.

Should My Business Have a Bigger Social Media Presence?

Some businesses may benefit more from social media than others. For example, businesses that rely heavily on visual content such as fashion, beauty and food industries, may find social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest particularly useful. Similarly, businesses that sell products or services that are primarily aimed at younger audiences may find social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to be effective in reaching their target demographic.

In contrast, businesses in highly regulated industries such as finance and healthcare may need to be more cautious in their use of social media due to strict advertising and privacy regulations. Still, even these businesses can use social media to provide helpful information to their audience and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry.

Ultimately, any business that wants to reach and engage with its target audience, increase brand awareness and drive traffic to its website can benefit from using social media as part of its marketing strategy.

Organic or Paid?

Most businesses choose a combination of organic posting and paid advertising.

Organic social media refers to the use of social media platforms to build a following and engage with an audience without paying for advertising. In other words, organic social media is publishing posts for free on platforms.

Paid social media involves paying for advertising on social media platforms to reach a wider audience. You can create an ad or boost one of your popular posts and pay for the boost to an audience of your choice.

Here are some key differences between organic and paid social media for business:

• Reach: Organic social media relies on the reach of your existing followers and word-of-mouth to spread your message. With paid social media, you can target a wider audience beyond your followers and increase the reach of your content.
• Cost: Organic social media is free to use, but paid social media requires a budget for advertising spend. The cost of paid social media can vary depending on the platform and the targeting options you choose.
• Targeting: Organic social media allows you to reach your existing followers, but paid social media allows you to target specific demographics, interests and behaviors. This allows you to reach potential customers who may not be aware of your brand.
• Engagement: Organic social media can lead to higher engagement rates, as your followers are more likely to engage with content that is relevant to them. Paid social media can lead to lower engagement rates, as your content is being shown to a wider audience who may not be as interested in your brand.
• Control: With organic social media, you have control over the content you create and share. With paid social media, you have control over the targeting and placement of your ads, but less control over how users will interact with them.
• Paid social media can get you immediate results, but if you stop advertising, you no longer have a presence on the platform. If you publish organic posts, your visibility continues even if you take a break from posting.

So, when to go organic and when to go paid? Organic social media is great for building relationships with your audience, while paid social media can help you reach a wider audience and drive specific actions such as website clicks or purchases. It’s important to have a balance between the two and to tailor your social media strategy to your business goals.

What Social Media Platforms Are Best for My Business?

Choosing the right social media platforms for your business depends on several factors such as your industry, your target audience, the type of content you plan to share and your business goals. Here are some steps you can take to help you choose the right social media platforms for your business:

• Identify your target audience: Understanding your target audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors can help you choose the social media platforms where your ideal customers are most active. For example, if your target audience is primarily young adults, you may want to focus on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Determine your content strategy: Different social media platforms have different content formats and requirements. Consider the type of content you plan to share such as images, videos or blog posts, and choose the platforms that are best suited for that content.
• Consider your business goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your social media marketing, whether it’s to build brand awareness, generate leads, drive traffic to your website or increase sales. Each social media platform has its own strengths when it comes to achieving these goals. If you have a B2B business and your customers are professionals, you should probably be on LinkedIn.
• Research your competitors: Look at what social media platforms your competitors are using and evaluate how successful they are on those platforms. This can help you determine which platforms are most effective for your industry.
• Test and adjust: Once you’ve identified the social media platforms you want to use, test your content and engagement on those platforms and adjust your strategy as needed. Monitor your metrics, such as engagement rates and conversions, and use that data to optimize your social media marketing efforts.

Don’t try to be everywhere. It’s better to focus on a few platforms where you can create quality content and engage with your audience consistently than to spread yourself too thin across too many platforms. Choose the platforms that align with your business goals and where your target audience is most active, and you’ll be on your way to creating an effective social media marketing strategy.

How Can My Business Get Started or Increase Our Presence on Social Media?

Getting started with social media can be a relatively straightforward process. Here are some steps you can take to get your business up and running on social media:

• Set your goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your social media marketing, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or generating leads. Don’t be on social media just to say you are there.
• Choose your platforms: Based on your target audience and content strategy, select the social media platforms that are best suited to your business.
• Create your profiles: Set up your business profiles on the chosen social media platforms, ensuring that your profile picture, header image and bio accurately represent your brand.
• Develop your content strategy: Plan out the type of content you want to share, such as blog posts, images, videos, or a mix of formats. Ensure that your content aligns with your business goals and resonates with your target audience.
• Create and share content: Start creating and sharing content on your chosen platforms. Be sure to maintain a consistent posting schedule, and engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages promptly.
• Monitor your metrics: Use analytics tools to track your social media metrics, such as engagement rates, follower growth and website traffic. Use these insights to optimize your social media strategy over time.
• Adapt and evolve: As you gain experience with social media marketing, continue to adapt and evolve your strategy to stay relevant and meet your business goals.

Remember that organic social media marketing is a long-term strategy, and it takes time to build a strong following and see results. Consistency, quality content, and engagement are key to building a successful social media presence for your business.

Call Umbrella Local Experts for Help with Organic and Paid Social Media

If you are interested in expanding your social media presence through organic posts or paid advertising, contact Umbrella Local Experts. Umbrella Local Experts can help you market your business while you run it. Contact Umbrella here to schedule a free consultation or call (646) 440-1426 to discuss building strong brand equity for your business.