Top 10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips

Social media marketing is a must for small business today. Like any other marketing channel, the trick is to find new and clever ways to make social marketing work for your small business. Here are 10 ideas to get your brain moving…

1. Create a presence on “The Big 5” social networks.
The Big 5 networks are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google Plus. We call them “the big 5” because they’re the most important networks that cover basically all social media users.

2. Share your content on social networks.
Social media is all about being social, and that starts with sharing stuff. Honestly, one of the hardest things about social marketing is coming up with new things to post. This helps take out the guesswork — post the content from your website, especially blog posts.

3. Share other people’s content.
Speaking of sharing content, don’t stop with sharing your own content. You also want to share other people’s content too. In fact, this is an excellent way to build relationships with other users. Everybody loves flattery.

4. Share your content again.
Don’t stop with just 1 share per blog post. Share your content again and again to get maximum exposure and as much coverage as possible.

5. Engage with other users.
Again, social media is all about being social. Don’t make the mistake of turning your social accounts into a megaphone about only your business. Interact and engage with other users to build your network.

6. Be authentic, be yourself, and be nice.
Just like mingling at a cocktail party, there are some basic etiquette rules you need to follow. The most important thing is that you just focus on being who you are. And treat others with respect and general friendliness.

7. Focus on your social media business goals.
At the end of the day, this is about growing your business. Don’t lose sight of that as you start logging more time on social networks.

8. Systematize everything.
As your business and your social presence grow, you’ll want to start building systems so other people can help. Stick to consistent, regular activity for best results.

9. Schedule but don’t be a ghost.
Scheduling tools like HootSuite and Buffer are great time-savers, but don’t get so reliant upon them that you forget to engage with your fans and followers.

10. Test, test, test.
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Just be sure you’re constantly testing to see what brings the best results.

What other ideas would you add to the list? Leave your comment below.