3 Ways a Small Business Can Grow a Big Social Media Audience

Optimize Social Presence

First, it’s extremely important to make sure your social media presence has been optimized. For instance, your profiles and bios on your various social media accounts should be clear and complete. You also need to add some concise descriptions of your business, along with the company logo and website URL.

Since social media updates are also included in search results, you need to optimize your comments, tweets, posts and company status. Every comment or post on Facebook and tweet on Twitter should include appropriate and relevant keywords to your industry and to your target customers. This will increase the likelihood that your page ranks higher in search engine results, meaning people won’t have to look far to find your business.

Promote Social Presence with Relevant and Valuable Content

Second, you should be promoting your presence everywhere. Whether on your website, blog, signage in your store front, print advertising or business cards, let people know about your social media accounts and invite them to follow you. Many social media platforms offer code for follow buttons which you can embed on your blog or website. This allows visitors to become followers with just one click. Also, be sure to add social sharing buttons to all your website or email marketing content.

Now that you’re promoting your social media presence, you need to share relevant and valuable content via your social media accounts. Basically, you need to make your presence worth following. Your Facebook posts, tweets, LinkedIn updates and Instagram photos need to be valuable, useful, engaging and relevant to your business and to your target customers. However, you should avoid product-focused content. According to statistics, when people are using social media, they aren’t looking to buy right then and there. They’re more looking for information that inspires, informs, interests and delights them.

Build Relationships, Interact and Offer Incentives

This might be the most important step you can take to grow your social media presence. Your audience does not want to interact with a page that has no personality – people want to know there’s a face behind a social media profile. Make sure a real person posts everything and interacts with the audience on a regular basis. Engage in conversations through your comments, like posts, retweet and be genuine and likeable. When people complain or voice their opinions, show them you value feedback and let them know you listen.

One of the best ways to see a spike in social media followers is to offer incentives to and reward people who follow your social media profile. Offer a discount or special deal to every new follower. Hold a contest on Facebook giving away a years supply of your product. Post a tweet and tell your followers they can re-tweet to win a $500 gift card to your business. No matter what kind of incentive you offer, make the prize worth the effort.

Although social media marketing doesn’t require a huge monetary investment, you’ll still need to put in the time to create and execute well-planned strategies. Gone are the days when a small business can just haphazardly throw up a Facebook page and then do nothing. Without an active social media presence, most businesses fail to gain a competitive edge.