5 Real Ways to Leverage Social Media for Your Small Business

Posted on the 12 September 2014 by Kharim Tomlinson @KharimTomlinson

Social media has changed the way the world communicates. These powerful tools allow people from across the world to keep in touch with each other, interact with one another in real time, and stay up to date about news around the globe. Since these tools are so powerful, it is a good idea to leverage them for your small business. Social media marketing with Unified Social makes this possible. The following are five real ways that you can use social media to help your small business.

1 - Do Your Homework

It is important to recognize that behind every successful social media campaign there was a great strategy. Social media allows you to connect with your audience on a personal level. In order to do this, you have to understand your customers and your potential customers. Make sure you know the following information about them:

2 - Coordinate Your Social Channels

You will experience more success if your social media efforts are coordinated over all of the different social platforms. This will help you push people to your website or blog so they can purchase your products or services. The blog you write should establish your voice and help customers get to know you.

3 - Start Small

It takes a lot of time and energy to successfully market on social media. It is usually best to focus your efforts on one or two platforms at first so you don't get overwhelmed. Once you begin to grow, you can determine whether it would be worth the time to expand your reach.

4 - Listen and Share

Content is always being created. Sometimes it is wise to listen to what people are saying instead of always being the one to speak. Many times, people will talk about your brand or company online. There are apps available that can help you track when people talk about your company. This will help you determine how you are performing. You can share what's good and confront what needs improvement.

5 - Create a Daily Plan

Social media is something that needs to happen everyday if you want customers to stay interested. For this reason, it is a good idea to create a daily plan. You can determine what content you want to post on your pages each day. Then, you can schedule them to save time.

With these five suggestions, most small businesses can begin to use social media to their advantage. Although it takes a little time, it is definitely worth the investment in the long run.