What happens when you stretch a rubber band too far? It breaks, pops back, hits your skin, and leaves a painful red welt. If you’re a small business owner, this rule applies to you, but in more ways than you might imagine. Small business owners and young entrepreneurs often become prey to a social media ideal. This ideal tells them to maintain a presence on every social media site their customers use.
But here’s the problem—you’re running a small business, and you don’t have the time, money, or resources to use every single social media outlet out there. When you focus on too much social media at once, you’re going to be stretched thin, and after a time, you’re going to break: just like our friend the rubber band.
If you want to reach customers through social media (and ultimately win a few sales), then you’re going to need to use discretion when choosing the right media for you. Check out these tips from your friends here at Acquirent, we think they’ll help make your decision easier:
- Find where the majority of your customers are, and target that platform: If you’ve done your research, then you should know your customer demographics. Use that data to hone in on the most popular social media outlet among your customer base. Once you’ve found the right one, start building a presence there. You can focus on other media once you’ve gained the resources and customers you need to grow.
- Use a social channel that will best define your product or service. If your product is service based, then you might not have the images necessary to build a great Pinterest; however, if you sell something like artisanal kitchen wares, then Pinterest might be a top choice for you. Some social media sites are better for your product or service than others. Hierarchy matters, so don’t waste your time using a site that doesn’t properly reflect your selling needs.
- Don’t ignore reviews. Social media is a lot more than Facebook and Twitter—social media is a dialogue that takes place across the web; it’s not something that can be contained in one single platform. If you think negative reviews posted to Yelp (or other review sites) aren’t your problem—think again. Part of your social media presence should be talking to your customers across the web and acknowledging both their praise and their scrutiny. Respond to them on forums, review sites and more. Most importantly, show them (and other customers who will see your response) that you care enough to reach out and try to resolve the issue.
At the end of the day, selling is simple—it’s connecting with your customers that’s the hard part. But when it comes to social media, there are a number of tactics small business owners can use to get the most out of it. At Acquirent, your local sales consulting and Chicago-area outsourced sales management group, we understand the difficulties surrounding social media, and we’re ready to bring clarity to your methods. Stop getting stretched too thin, and start building a dialogue that will transcend the digital space.
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