Today it’s no secret that social media is a huge part of our culture. In fact, the average person spends two to three hours on social media platforms a day! Small businesses are quickly learning the importance of social media advertising. With hundreds of millions of people shopping online a day, who wouldn’t want to earn a piece of that pie?
In this article, we’re going to look at why social media advertising is important for your small business, and how you can start doing it. Keep on reading!
Why Social Media Advertising is Important
Small businesses on social media are able to connect and engage with their customers online in ways they couldn’t otherwise.
Community Engagement
Businesses can post pictures of their products or services and ask customers to leave comments about their experiences, reviews, questions, and concerns. By responding promptly to your customer’s responses you’ll gain their trust and respect.
Costs Less than Traditional Advertisement
There’s no cost involved with using social media for your business. All it takes is your time and commitment to being consistent with your posts and interactions.
Of course, there is also the option to pay for advertisements within social media platforms. This is a great tool that allows you to focus your advertising locally or nationally if you choose.
It’s More Personal
A survey found that 41% of people pay extra to shop at smaller businesses.
That’s because small businesses offer a more personal shopping experience for customers by being able to make strong connections with them. Social media allows you to have those friendly conversations with curious customers who want to engage with you online.
How to Advertise on Social Media
A small business needs social media strategies in order to effectively reach its target base. It’s not as easy as posting a picture of your product and leaving a comment that says, “Tell us what you think!”
Focus on Two Platforms
Unless you have a team of digital marketers working with you—which by the way is an option—you’ll want to narrow down two social media platforms that work for you to focus on. Figure out which platforms are used by the demographics you’re targeting and spend your time with those.
Create Engaging Content
This includes graphics, images, posts, and videos that will spike your customer’s interest. You know you have engaging content when customers repost/retweet/share/like/respond to your posts.
Make It Mobile Friendly
A recent study shows that 3.3 billion people around the world access social media on their mobile device. If you don’t know how to optimize your social media advertising for mobile devices, best to hire someone who does.
Digital Marketing the Right Way
Effective digital marketing and social media advertising involves a well thought out and executed strategy.
If you want to bring expertise to your digital marketing strategy, contact us for a free consultation. With over 45 years of experience in digital marketing, we’re here to help your small business succeed.