Social media allows you to quickly and frequently communicate with your customers. Without effective management of your social media profiles however, your accounts can become a source of frustration for both your staff and your followers.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn are time-consuming platforms. Each requires a different skill set. Managing a profile on each major social media site can easily turn into a full-time job, and many small business owners do not have the resources to dedicate to the position.
Our social media manager Jenna handles accounts for multiple businesses on a daily basis. Using her professional experiences and advice, we put together three steps to help your small business build a strategy and stay on track.
1. Check in Daily
Every morning, dedicate a few minutes to reviewing your social media accounts. Open all of your profiles and respond to comments or reviews that have been posted since yesterday.
Post any last-minute updates that you need your clients to know. Communicate schedule changes, event details or cancellations as early as possible, especially when you don’t have a place for the information on your website. Use this time to share interesting articles your followers will enjoy or posts by like-minded businesses that you’d like to create relationships with.
Touch base with your accounts and then move on with your day!
2. Dive Deeper on a Monthly Basis
Create a Content Calendar
One of the easiest ways to save time is to plan your content in bulk. The scheduling tool on Facebook will save you time in the long run. Later.com offers the same service to Instagram users, along with an easy drag-and-drop feature to make sure your “grid” looks great.
Be sure to create original content for each of your accounts. At first, trying planning a week in advance. Then, move to a monthly schedule that you can duplicate each month.
Analyze Social Media Analytics
Business profiles on Instagram and Facebook break down information by the week, month and year. Check in each month to see how your data has changed. Instagram will even break down your followers’ demographics. View by location, age, gender or the time of day they were on the platform.
Using this data, you can begin to reach a larger audience and increase exposure for your business. Schedule your posts on the days and times you have the most engagement. If you aren’t sure, Thursdays are a good place to start.
3. Choose Your Platforms Wisely
If you are overwhelmed by updating multiple social media accounts, scale back on the number of profiles your business uses. You don’t have to be on every platform to successfully engage with your customers.
Consider which platforms will benefit your company most. If you are in a creative industry, like food service or photography, then Instagram is a great place for you. It allows you to focus on the visual aspect of your business. If you prefer your customers have the ability to leave reviews or RSVP to events, Facebook should be your focus. For businesses that primarily serve professionals, LinkedIn is a powerful tool.
Look at your past successes on social media as well when deciding which platforms are worth your time and energy. Whichever platform(s) you choose to focus on, put your best foot forward with a cohesive social media management strategy to connect with current and potential customers!