FIVE STARTUP TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

As internet use grows, many small businesses are curious as to how to build a brand online. The answer is social media marketing. Today, businesses that were unable to compete with corporate giants now have a fair chance, as social media marketing allows brands to promote products and services; increase brand awareness and recall; and interact with customers and wider audiences at little to no cost.

So where do you start? Follow these tips to launch your social media marketing journey, today.

Five social media marketing startup tips for small businesses

Define Your Brand

• “Brand values define who you are as a brand. Having a clear set of brand values is the most important component of building a recognizable brand” says Newberry (2022). To build your brand online, make clear what you stand for as a brand. Therefore, try to align your brand’s values with that of your target audience as customers tend to advocate for or purchase from a brand based on their personal beliefs and values.

Increase Online Brand Awareness

• Brand awareness means people being aware of your brand. It fosters trust, creates association, and builds brand equity. Decker says: “Brands with high brand awareness are generally referred to as ‘trending,’ ‘buzzworthy,’ or simply ‘popular.’ Establishing brand awareness is valuable when marketing and promoting your company, especially in the early stages of a business.” Consistency is key to building brand awareness, and includes visual appearance, brand voice, timeliness and tone.

Draw An Audience

• Be relevant. “Bringing customers closer to your brand with relevant and useful information can help capture their attention and build trust. This is called inbound marketing”. To do so, make use of various content platforms—mainly those which your audience tends to frequent. Create and disseminate relevant, timely information that is helpful to consumers to boost building your brand online.

Engage Your Audience Online

• Social media communication is about forming relationships online. The top-down communication approach previously used in traditional marketing is no longer effective. Establish a feedback loop. Today, audiences value personal interaction with brands. “Find topics of interest that the brand community cares about. Remember, the social principle is about engaging in a conversation.” Make use of human interest stories, use polls, ask questions, create reels or fun videos, or provide information that is helpful and informative for your audience. Interact in ways that don’t necessarily promote products or request sales.

Make Use of SEO

• Search engine optimization (SEO) helps to boost the discovery of your website on search engine results pages (SERPs). “Building a website is not just about making it attractive for visitors. You must also make sure visitors can find your site. Research shows that less than 1 percent of searchers using Google venture past the first page and more than half never scroll down past the first three results on page one.” So how do you optimize for search engines? Improve site speed, write high-quality content, and ensure you use the right keywords. Know what keywords customers use when they look for you and incorporate those within your headings, subheadings and the first paragraph of your written content. A keyword research tool can also be helpful.

For more on How to Grow Your Brand, here’s an entertaining and insightful take from Hubspot Marketing’s Social Media Masterclass – featuring Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. Enjoy!

REFERENCE

Kanth, G., Prasad, R.S. (2023). “A Systematic Literature Review on Social Media Marketing in Small and Medium Enterprises”. Small Enterprises Development, Management and Extension Journal. SAGE Publishing. Retrieved from: https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=161195793&site=eds-live&scope=site

Category: Personal Branding, Social Media Marketing 101