Social Media Management Tips for Small Businesses

51.2% of people research businesses online before making a purchase or a decision, so it’s important to be active on the platforms your customers use. Social media is a surefire way to inform people of your services and add your business to their consideration during the research phase.

With the right social media management strategies, small businesses can effectively reach their target audience, build relationships, and ultimately grow their business. Here’s a step-by-step guide to social media management for small businesses.
 

1. Define Your Goals

Before diving into social media, the first step is to define your goals. As a small business, are you looking to increase visibility, drive website traffic, generate leads, or engage with your audience? Your primary goal for social media management will determine where you should establish a presence and define a unique approach to posting on these platforms. Setting specific, measurable goals will help develop your social media strategy and determine the success of your efforts.

[Related: How to Survive as a Small Fish in a Big Pond]

Increase Brand Awareness

If your goal is to increase brand awareness, you should start by creating a local business page on Facebook. Over 70% of active Facebook users visit the page of a local business or event every week. Why not add your business to the conversation? 

Second only to your Google Business Profile, creating a Facebook business profile will allow you to communicate your business information to a broader, engaged audience. This will help create cohesive brand communication and set you up for success in leveraging social media to meet other goals down the road.

Drive Website Traffic

Social media ties in nicely with other digital marketing channels, like your small business’s website, because you can use it to connect with a wide range of consumers in your community. If your goal is to use social media to increase web traffic, you’ve probably already got a strategy to regularly refresh the content on your website. (You should – but if you don’t, we can help you with that). 

[Related: 3 Reasons Why You Should Use Online Content to Attract Customers to Your Local Business]

For the sake of this topic, let’s skip ahead and say that you already have content on your website and update it regularly. Between blog posts and pillar pages for your products and services, you should already have a wealth of information to share on social media. You can do so by posting organically on text-based social media platforms and using ads to drive traffic to high-value pages on your website. 

Social Media for Lead Generation

As a small business, the key to using social media for lead generation is “pay to play.” Sure, you can make a splash by posting for free, but you’re only catching the eye of people who are already interested in doing business with you. To get your name in front of people who haven't heard of you (yet), you’ll need to launch ads on social media networks. 

Running ads on social is a process that includes creating engaging content, analyzing consumer data, targeting audiences, and optimizing existing ads to perform better with time. It’s a lot to take on, which is why so many local businesses have Hibu create and manage their ads online — and we do more than just social, too. This ensures that the businesses we work with can integrate multiple channels under one solid brand voice. 

If you’re considering social media for lead generation, partnering with the pros can be well worth the investment.

Engaging Customers on Social Media

The most exciting thing about small businesses using social media is how they can get their customers and communities involved! If your primary goal for social media is to engage with your audience, consider stylizing and posting your best reviews. This will show your followers that you value customer feedback and allow them to hear from real customers when researching your business. 

[Related: Free Guide: Taking Control of Your Online Reputation]

A comprehensive social media strategy can meet all of these potential goals and more. If learning the ins and outs of each platform seems like a lot to take on, consider partnering with a digital marketing provider like Hibu, who can create a solution that meets your needs and helps you reach your goals.

2. Know Your Audience

As a small business owner, you know how important it is to understand your customers. Understanding their habits, pain points, and the needs that lead them to your products and services is vital to running a successful business. The same is true for finding success on your customers' social media platforms. 

Catering to the online habits of your target audience is crucial for small businesses looking to start a social media profile. Take the time to research and identify who your ideal customers are, what platforms they are active on, and what type of content resonates with them. 

Ask yourself these questions before launching a social media strategy for your small business:

• What age range do my customers fall in?
• What habits bring my audience to social media?
•  Is it common to look for my products and services on social?
• Can I represent my business on a visual platform (think Instagram, Pinterest, or Snapchat)
• Would videos help my business appeal to my ideal audience?
   

After you’ve defined your target audience, you need to tailor your social media posts to their interests, preferences, and demographics. Social media users have come to expect a highly personalized experience, so your posts must be relevant and useful to your ideal customer.

[Related: 4 Creative Veterinary Social Media Post Ideas]

3. Create a Content Calendar

Social media for small businesses requires persistence and consistency. You’ll want to develop a content calendar outlining the type of content you’ll be posting, how often you’ll be posting, and the platforms you’ll be using. 

The type of content you will post depends heavily on your industry. If you’re a home services business, you could post before-and-after pictures and videos of successful jobs. If you’re a veterinary or animal care business, people love to see posts that feature your furry patients or clients. If you’re a legal, medical, dental, or insurance professional or in any other industry that requires discretion, try featuring the people who make up your business with employee spotlights.

These are just a few examples of social media content for small businesses. With the right mix of creativity and research, the possibilities are endless.

It would be best if you tried to post three to four times a week for the most popular platforms (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram). You should also make a habit of following up with people who engage with your posts. (More on that in the next section.)

If you’re branching into more than one social media platform, be aware that what works on one platform might not resonate with the audience on another. To effectively manage your social media, you need to create a calendar and guidelines for each platform. This will help you stay organized, keep a consistent posting schedule, and ensure your social media messaging aligns with your goals and target audience. 

Or, of course, you can partner with Hibu, and we’ll do this for you.

[Related: 5 Ways to Increase Visibility Online for Your Small Business]

4. Engage with Your Audience

For small businesses using social media, the work does not end once you press “post.” The beauty of social media for small businesses is that it is a two-way conversation. You can get feedback and insight from your customers in real-time and become a part of their routine simply by paying attention to and following up on the engagements your posts get. 

Engagement on social media is defined as any interaction your audience has with your posts or profile. From a small business perspective, some engagements carry more weight than others. Comments and shares help your posts reach a broader audience by tapping into the networks of the people commenting and sharing. When someone comments on your Facebook post, for example, it is more likely to appear in other people’s feeds.

Your audience expects a conversation rather than a one-sided interaction. Because engagement is so important for small businesses, rewarding the behavior you’re seeking is crucial. Small businesses responding promptly to comments, messages, and mentions will encourage discussions and interactions with their followers. This will ensure that you become a part of their online routine.

Social media is a powerful tool for small businesses to take the pulse of their customers and community. Building meaningful relationships with your audience will help foster loyalty to your business and trust in your brand. Comments from your followers might even inspire you to build out a special offer or branch into a new market area.

[Related: 7 Social Media Pointers for Tow Company Marketing]

5. Use Analytics to Measure Success

Engagements are not the only way small businesses can receive feedback on social media. Like any other digital marketing channel, data is the name of the game for small businesses on social media. Checking the performance of your social media efforts will help you identify what is working well on each platform and keep serving up the content your audience enjoys. 

Through the analytics that each social media platform provides to small businesses, you can track key metrics like engagement, reach, click-through rates, and conversions – to evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy. Use this data to refine your content and build your social media presence.

6. Stay Updated on Trends

Social media trends evolve constantly, so staying informed about the latest trends and best practices in social media management is essential. Small businesses should keep an eye on industry trends, new features or algorithms on social media platforms, and competitor activities to stay ahead of the curve and continue to grow.

Grow Your Network with Hibu

By implementing these social media management tips, small businesses can utilize social media to connect with their customers, drive brand awareness, and achieve their business goals. Consistent effort, engagement, and a strategic approach to social media management can significantly impact the success of your local businesses in the digital landscape.

To learn more about how Hibu can help with your business’s social media presence, visit our Get Started form or call us at 855-408-3744.