Social Media Marketing for Small Business

Most companies are starting to understand the importance of online presence. Fewer companies are taking actions to build SMM campaigns and even less companies are doing it right.

If you’ve read my post, 7 Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses, you already know that I am a fan of social media. In many cases small businesses can’t afford a social media specialist or simply don’t want to hire one, thinking it’s a useless expense. Other companies simply ignore the whole “social thing”, either because they fail to recognize the value of it or because they don’t understand what it is and how it should be done.

To be honest, I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to SMM – this is why I try to learn something new on the subject as often as I can. For example, I recently purchased Gary Vaynerchuck’s “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” – a great book on the subject.

In the past year or so I understood that Social Media is not there for selling – it’s there for communication with existent and potential customers. Sure, you can show off your latest product from time to time on your Facebook page but you shouldn’t be only selling! You should be telling your story. You should be telling your customers’ stories. How do you know that you’ve succeeded with your social media? You know it when your fans start forgetting that you are a brand and start thinking of you as a friend.

Is Social Media for Everyone?

I have a good idea on running social media for “fun” companies. For instance, if you are selling jeans, energy drinks or smartphones. However, some companies aren’t as “fun”. Some companies are outright “boring”. Can these folks do social media?

Recently I’ve been approached by a local company that sells a specific service (B2B) that doesn’t fit into the “fun category”. This company needs SEO help and an SMM strategy. As I was writing a proposal for this company, I already started planning a potential Social Media strategy for them. I did come up with some idea but I felt like more could be done for them.

I turned to Google+ and posted a question about planning SMM strategies for companies that aren’t in the very popular niches. My question got about 10 great replies. Some people said not every company needs SMM, other folks suggested that any company can succeed socially, as long as it’s well thought and well planned. One of the best replies came from Disrupt Media:

You have to agree, a funeral home is not a “fun” business. I checked out a few funeral homes on Facebook and almost clicked “Like”! Some of those pages have thousands of followers, and they get LIKES on everything they post. They do post a lot of motivational quotes, photos, wishes, etc.

I proceeded searching for more “boring” companies and it seems like in every industry there are at least a few companies that are doing it right! They get followers, likes, shares, engagement… even when they sell. If they can do it – so can you.

I hope this post gave you some ideas on how to promote your business or your client’s business. I would also suggest joining a few SMM communities on Google+ and getting a few books on social media. Gary’s book that I mentioned earlier is a goldmine!

Have anything to add? Comment below!

– Alex