//Navigating social media: A guide for small-business owners

Navigating social media: A guide for small-business owners

By Sara Dolan, Smoak Public Relations

Both the beauty and the blight of social media is how quickly it changes. Most recently, Instagram has taken over the social media market. Due to the fast pace of social media and its effectiveness of sharing information, it is important to have a few tips and tricks up your sleeve to attract quality followers who help build and accurately represent your brand.

Here’s how to make social media work for — not against — you and your small business.

1. Beautiful photos

Perhaps the most logical suggestion on our list of Instagram hacks is to post unique photographs that attract people to your page and establish an online presence to keep people visiting. The average user spends about three seconds viewing your post. So post graphics that make them stop and engage.

If you don’t have easy access to a professional photographer or high-quality photographs, try using a consistent filter on all your photos to establish visual continuity throughout your page.

2. Customize your message

Syncing your social media platforms to publish posts at the same date and time may be most convenient; however, it won’t be the most practical. Make sure you are speaking to the correct audience on each individual platform.

Typically, users visit Facebook for article-style or informational content, whereas on Instagram the user is focusing on the image, not the caption. Taking the time to customize the captions on each platform will go a long way when it comes to delivering your message effectively.

3. Instagram stories

Recent studies have shown that people are more likely to watch Instagram stories than they are to take the time to scroll through their Instagram feed. Creating an Instagram story takes very little time and is a fun way to give followers a peek inside your typical workday. It can be as easy as taking a behind-the-scenes photo or Boomerang of your next team meeting.

4. Calculated representation of your brand

Social media accounts have become the medium through which customers generate their first impressions of companies and brands. Take a minute to sit down with your team and discuss how you want your brand to be perceived via social media. Are you silly or serious? What are your goals? Who are the individuals that make your brand unique?

Thinking critically about how you want to present your brand on social media platforms can help establish a more consistent image between your online and offline presence.

5. Engagement is key

Make sure to actively like and comment on your follower’s posts. This shows your loyalty to them and will garner engagement back to your page.

This is an easy task to forget, so we recommend setting a reminder every day on your phone to actively interact. You will be surprised at how much a few minutes of engagement can pay off in the long run.

At the end of the day, it is important to realize that social media is a “social” platform and it is intended for just that.
We recommend experimenting with fun captions, creative imagery and exciting engagement that will ultimately build a loyal following for you and your business.

Sara Dolan is a senior account executive for Smoak Public Relations, a local PR agency focused on telling stories, creating memorable experiences and building relationships.

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