Building a Strong Social Media Presence from Scratch: Tips for Startups and Small Businesses
DATE: MARCH 26TH 2024
TIME: 5 MINUTE READ
SUBJECT: MARKETING
In today's digital age, having a robust social media presence is no longer optional—it's essential for the success of startups and small businesses alike. With the potential to reach billions of users worldwide, social media platforms offer unparalleled opportunities for brand exposure, customer engagement, and business growth. However, building a strong social media presence from scratch can be daunting, especially for those just starting out. In this blog post, we'll explore actionable tips and strategies to help startups and small businesses establish a thriving presence on social media without causing too much stress.
1. Define Your Goals and Audience
Before diving into social media, it's crucial to define your goals for your business and identify your target audience. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, or boost sales? Understanding your objectives will inform your content strategy and help you tailor your messaging to resonate with your target audience. It is also totally acceptable to have multiple goals you’re looking to accomplish with your social media — we like to tell our clients to try and stick to around three!
When you spend the time to develop your explicit goals as well as the audience you’re targeting, you’ll be able to compare audience needs to your goals. If they don’t line up, this is your red flag to reconsider what social media might be able to accomplish for your business. Your goals should inform your audience needs and vice versa.
As a simple example, if I’m a florist operating out of Seattle, and my goal is to increase the online sales of my seed kits, I need to make sure that the audience I’m targeting is interested in gardening (among other traits).
2. Choose the Right Platforms
With numerous social media platforms available, it's essential to choose the ones that align with your business objectives and target audience. Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, or TikTok, each platform has its unique audience demographics and content formats. Focus your efforts on platforms where your target audience is most active and where your content is likely to perform best.
Spend time researching the audience groups actively utilizing each platform, and make sure the information you’re reading is up-to-date, as things on these platforms are constantly in evolution.
3. Create Compelling Content
Content is the cornerstone of any successful social media strategy. Create high-quality, engaging content that provides value to your audience. This can include a mix of informative articles, eye-catching graphics, entertaining videos, user-generated content, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business.
It is important to experiment with different content formats in order to keep your audience engaged and encourage interaction and further your goals. When you’re first developing your strategy, it’s a good practice to put yourself in the shoes of your consumer and ask the question “what do I want to know before I buy/engage”. Use the answer to this question to inform the type of content you might need to be creating, whether it’s focusing on the value of your services, educating people about new ideas or products, or showing your product in use and in multiple applications. And! Keep in mind that the answer is always a nice mix of about four or five different categories.
4. Be Consistent and Authentic
Consistency is key to building a strong social media presence. Establish a regular posting schedule and stick to it! Trust us, we know it sounds daunting, but you can do it. Whether you choose to post daily, weekly, or bi-weekly, consistency helps keep your brand top-of-mind and reinforces your presence in the minds of your audience.
Additionally, be authentic in your messaging and interactions with your audience. People resonate with genuine, relatable content, so don't be afraid to show the human side of your brand. Think about how you would like others to “see” your brand, or even how you would like it to make other people feel the first time they engage, and then capitalize on marketing ideas and messaging that aligns with those feelings and personality.
5. Engage with Your Audience
Social media is inherently social, so make a consistent effort to engage with your audience daily. Respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly, and actively participate in conversations within your niche or industry. Encourage user-generated content by running contests, asking for feedback, or featuring customer testimonials. By building genuine connections with your audience, you’ll foster loyalty and strengthen your brand community.
If you need a goal to shoot for, we give our undivided attention to our social profile one time a day for about 30-45 minutes. This is plenty of time when you’re spending intentional energy with your audience responding to messages, comments, and finding new accounts to engage with.
6. Leverage Analytics and Insights
We know numbers can be daunting, but it is crucial to monitor the performance of your social media efforts using analytics tools provided by each platform. Track metrics such as reach, engagement, click-through rates, and conversions to gauge the effectiveness of your strategy.
These metrics can easily change based on what your goals are, but it is important to check them frequently, i.e. every month. Use these insights to identify what's working well and what areas need improvement. We like diving into each post’s insights, paying attention to which posts have the highest saves and share rates — this is usually an indicator that our audience especially liked that piece of content. Adjust your approach accordingly to optimize your results over time.
7. Stay Up-to-Date with Trends
What can be the most tricky and draining part is keeping up with the trends. Social media is constantly evolving, with new features, trends, and algorithm changes emerging regularly. Stay informed about the latest trends and best practices in social media marketing to stay ahead of the curve.
The best way you can keep your eye on the ball is just in spending that dedicated 30 minutes on the platform each day. You’ll naturally pay attention to the content other’s in your industry are posting and “up on” the trends. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new features such as Instagram Reels, Facebook Live, or LinkedIn Stories to keep your content fresh and engaging.
Building a strong social media presence from scratch requires time, effort, and dedication, but the rewards are well worth it. By defining your goals, choosing the right platforms, creating compelling content, and engaging authentically with your audience, startups and small businesses can establish a thriving presence on social media. Stay consistent, track your progress, and adapt your strategy as needed to achieve your objectives and unlock the full potential of social media for your business.
And, if you’re tired of struggling through social media for your business, reach out! Our team offers a wide variety of services for businesses of every size (and budget!). So whether it’s a 1-hour formal consultation or a fully fleshed-out social strategy, we can help you wherever you are.
Xoxo,
Maker + Made
