How much time do you spend on social media a day? While you guiltily check your screen time report, take a moment to think about how many businesses you come across in that time.
Now, imagine an ad or piece of content for your small business appearing on the phones, laptops and tablets of your dream buyers. Sounds pretty cool, right?
Our quick and simple cheat sheet for social media marketing for small businesses is everything you need to get started.
How Can Social Media Marketing Help My Small Business?
First of all, let’s explain why you should get into the world of social media marketing in the first place. Here are some of the key benefits it can offer small businesses:
- Eyeballs: As you may be aware, social media is pretty popular. Facebook alone has 2.1 billion active daily users. With the right social media marketing strategy, you can get your business in front of your target audience.
- The right target: Social media algorithms are great at showing targeted ads and content that users want to see. You have a great chance to have your content seen by users who want to engage with your business. Platforms also offer social media marketing tools that help you target your audience more effectively.
- Low cost: Filming a day in the life of your business, going viral and becoming Insta-famous is totally free. Okay, it might not be quite that simple, but with a solid strategy you have a good chance to reach new customers with low-cost content. Plus, buying ads on social media can be much more affordable than purchasing TV spots.
- Boost relationships: Social media is known for genuine, personable content. With the right social media ad or post, you can really engage and connect with your audience. A simple video explaining your business or showing off your product may be all you need.
How Can I Get Good Results from Social Media Marketing?
Keen to get cracking on your social media marketing dreams? Our simple step-by-step guide is the perfect place to start.
1. Set Your Goals
First, establish what you’re hoping to achieve from your social media marketing efforts. This is critical because your goals will tell you the strategies needed to achieve them.
Maybe your primary goal is increasing your business’s visibility. In this case, jump on the latest trends and link them to your business, even if it’s a bit of a stretch.
Maybe you want to educate the market about your business. If this is you, you’ll need to create content that quickly draws your audience in before laying out information.
Understanding what you want to get out of social media marketing will help you achieve the best results.
2. Choose Your Platform
Next up, choose the right social media platform to focus on. You could spread your content across different platforms, but this will stretch your business-owner brain even further than usual.
It’s therefore best to kick off your strategy by focusing on a single platform.
When it comes to choosing where to launch your social media marketing campaign, there are two critical considerations:
- Who are the users?: 70.1% of TikTok users are under 35, compared to 54.1% for Facebook. Compare the demographics of different platforms and see which most closely matches your target audience.
- What do they look at?: Different kinds of content thrive on different social media platforms. For example, if video content doesn’t interest you, you should stay away from TikTok and consider creating an X account instead.
3. Research Your Competitors
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Chances are, one of your competitors is already in the social media game. If they’re racking up thousands of followers and impressions, take some healthy inspiration from their marketing strategies.
Analyse the content they post and the trends they jump on. How do they engage with their audience?
Remember not to duplicate your competitor’s strategy exactly. Simply use it to inform your own planning and research.
4. Create Your Content
Now comes the fun part—creating your content! Whether it’s videos, images or written posts, ensure your social media posts are engaging and aligned with your brand’s voice.
In addition, make sure the content you create is right for your chosen platform. Above all, provide an authentic picture of your business. From behind-the-scenes footage to flashy product demos, always think about connecting with your audience.
Data from Facebook suggests that mobile users spend an average of 1.7 seconds with a piece of content. When creating your content, you’ll need to catch your audience’s attention as quickly as possible. Try to start every post with something that makes it feel unskippable.
5. Go Live!
With your amazing content now created, you just need to set it live.
According to research from Buffer, the best times to post on Facebook are 10 am Friday, 10 am Monday and 9 am Tuesday. For Instagram and TikTok, peak times correlate to when users are commuting, on their lunch break and when they’ve finished work. Do your research to find what suits your business.
Once your content is live, you can enhance your strategy in a few ways. Firstly, create a content calendar to keep your posting schedule on track.
You can also level up your audience engagement by heading into the comments section. Answer questions about your business and contribute to the conversation with witty comments of your own.
6. Review and Adjust
Once you’ve started posting content, you’ll have access to social media analytics tools. For example, if you’re using Facebook or Instagram, you’ll get access to Meta Business Suite.
Meta Business Suite enables you to manage ad campaigns and your social media accounts. It’s a one-stop shop for posting, replying to comments, tracking demographic data and staying on top of social media trends.
People on the internet are always full of constructive feedback. Your comment section can also prove a great source of inspiration for future content.
Ensure you’re always agile and ready to adapt to the latest changes.
Which Platform is Right for Me?
Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know about the major social media platforms when deciding which to invest your time:
- TikTok: TikTok is known for one thing, which is short-form video content. If you can quickly get users’ attention, this is the platform for you. TikTok has younger users than some other platforms and 51.1% of its NZ ad audience is female.
- Facebook: Facebook’s audience is a bit older. Plus, 52.4% of its ads audience in New Zealand is female. It’s a multimedia platform with room for all kinds of content. Facebook also pushes community features more than other platforms. Look out for the perfect special interest group to promote your business.
- Instagram: Instagram is all about aesthetics. If you’re a cake decorator or make-up artist to the stars, this is the channel for you. 63.3% of Kiwi Instagram users are under 35 and 58.1% are male.
- X: The platform formerly known as Twitter is great for short, snappy and trendy conversations. This can make it a low-cost, fairly low-effort option for businesses on a budget. According to X, 66.5% of its NZ ads audience is male. Globally, 73.2% of its users are under 35.
- Google Business Profile: Optimising your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) and scoring positive reviews is well worth your time. It allows you to share details about your business and boost search engine performance. Include a link to your Google Business Profile in your social media biographies. If you come across a positive mention of your business on social media, thank the customer for their kind words and ask them to leave a review on your profile.
Bolster Your Small Business with Smartpay
Once you’ve used social media channels to drive hordes of customers to your business, Smartpay is here to help.
Our payment terminals are the sleek, modern devices your business needs to flourish. They are easy to use and packed with payment features, so your business never slows down.
