Social Media Society
We're all at it - or at least most of us are. Posting on social media. Social media has had a monumental impact on our culture and has brought global goings-on literally into the palms of our hands. There's no denying this revolution has impacted the way we all communicate, socialise and consume information. But it's gone deeper than that. We buy through social, we're sold to through social and this is only going to grow.
As a small business do you really need it? Yes. Yes, you do and you can learn so much about your business and your customers by being on these platforms.
Because it’s now so deeply-rooted in our culture, people will seek you out in these places and with an active social media profile, you have an opportunity to develop real relationships with your customers. The more you engage with people who like what you do, the more loyal customers you’re likely to have. But where can you forge more formal business to business relationships?
It may come as a surprise to some, but one of the most powerful business to business platforms is LinkedIn. I think it’s often overlooked as a dry consultants’ forum or ‘living CV’ - as some coin it. But if you’re anything like me, it’s often the first place I go to have a gander at who I’ve just met at that business brekkie or check out who’s just called, enquiring about my services.
Okay, it’s not as much fun as Facebook or Instagram because pics of your little darlings and selfies are a big no-no. This platform is for sharing thoughtful and professional content. Yawn. So why bother with it? It’s just more work, right? Well, no, thankfully. If you’re already blogging and have opinions on stuff going on in your industry, then it’s a place where you can publish your own articles and thought leadership pieces - promoting the values of your brand. You can do this as an individual, through a Company Page or both!
On a personal level, it’s a great way to get recommendations from others you’ve worked with - proof you can talk the talk and walk the walk. Perfect for adding credibility to your brand. LinkedIn allows you to showcase your skill set and usefully these come up in keyword searches on the platform. You can get endorsed for your skills by others in your network, for example, design, editing, cheesemaking etc. Whatever it is that floats your boat.
Like other platforms, LinkedIn offers a variety of ways to boost your brand; through sponsored content, adverts and also sponsored 'InMail'. Particularly useful for events, recruitment, growing your followers and getting your articles in front of a more targeted audience in the business community. Pretty powerful overall.
So what's the perfect post?
Well, for any platform it has to be clear in what it is, useful to your audience and relevant to your business or brand - and most importantly have a goal. Why are you posting in the first place?
Keep things positive and be inspiring. Whatever your business is, you want to prompt engagement by offering something interesting or captivating to your audience.
Use images that can be seen clearly on a mobile.
Where appropriate utilise hashtags so your company or content can be easily found.
Provide a link so your followers can find out more information about what it is you're sharing with them or so they can learn more about you as a brand.
Most of all have fun! Comment, like and share. It is social after all.
First published in Issue 4 of The Little Things Magazine, https://thelittlethingsmagazine.com/