Stay connected on social media

Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and more - for some business owners the digital age seems more like an obstacle than an opportunity. Don’t let this be you. Understanding and using social media can help your business grow in surprising ways.

 

Start small. Managing several social media accounts can be overwhelming. Ask yourself what kinds of accounts apply to your business. If you’re a restaurant owner, sticking to visual social media accounts, such as Instagram and Snapchat can help show off your award-winning Cajun fish tacos. If you provide a service, writing blog posts explaining the benefits of your service on Facebook or Twitter might just be the way to go. No matter what, make sure the content you produce relates to your business.

 

A personal touch keeps things real. Share a photo, tell a story about a memorable encounter with a customer, or ask a question.

 

Stay organized. Don’t just create social media posts on the fly. Social media scheduling apps, such as Hootsuite can help you plan a post for a future date. This way you’ll have time to add the perfect image, edit your message and avoid typos.

 

Timing matters. Pay attention to current news and trends. Steer your social media toward big events like holidays or local sports games so you can connect with what your audience is thinking about. You can even schedule your posts in advance to prevent any missed holidays.

 

Social media doesn’t have to be complicated. Posting in a fun, conversational tone will provide the best way to connect. Once you’re comfortable making regular posts you can start analyzing what kinds of people are looking at your posts, and craft new posts that are even more targeted.

 

Dip your toes in the social pool, you’ll be glad you did.