3 Steps for Cost-Effective Social Media Marketing for SMBs

​By Olga Bedrina

Both corporations and small businesses are successfully leveraging social media to increase their visibility and maintain contact with customers. However, the difference is that SMBs may not command the resources that large corporations do. Still, social media can level the playing field because it is accessible to small marketing teams, one-person marketing departments, and even business owners who have to wear many hats.
What Small Businesses Need for Effective Social Media Marketing

As a small- or medium-sized business marketer or owner, you might consider some effective tactics that can help you use social media marketing to reach your business goals.

1. Concentrate on the Most Effective Social Platforms for Your Company
Small businesses usually can’t afford to establish a presence on every social networking platform. It takes time to attract followers and keep them engaged. Small business marketers might obtain better returns on their marketing investment by finding the platforms that have already attracted a good share of the audience for their content. This is especially true for companies who are just getting started with their social media efforts.
It may take a little research to develop a target audience and where those people already connect online. However, some demographic data that’s already been published might hold important clues. For instance, Pew Research published a study of the typical demographics for large social sites:

• Facebook holds the lead for the number of users, especially among people who are under 50.
• Instagram’s audience mainly includes young people under 30 living in cities.
• LinkedIn, the B2B social network, attracts college graduates and adult users who have the above-average income.

2. Develop Valuable and Compelling Content
Almost every kind of small business will face competition for their audience’s attention on any social networking site. It’s important to develop a reputation for high-quality, compelling, and useful content from the first day. Done properly, your brand can become the one that social networking site users are eager to learn from, engage with, and share with their friends.
Content might be a mix of text, graphics, and videos. Typically, companies do well with concise content and punchy titles on social sites, and then they save their longer pieces for their own websites and sales pages. Any research that you can do upon the kind of content your audience already engages with will prove helpful when developing a content marketing strategy for your small business.
3. Acquire the Right Toolbox for Small Business Marketing Content and Account Management
Developing content and managing social site accounts can consume a lot of time and other resources. On the other hand, SMB marketers can employ the right tools to maximize productivity and get an incredible amount done in a short time. Using the right tools can be compared to the difference between breaking boards with your hand or using a power saw. Even martial artists use a power saw when they want to build a table.
First, align your content development and management strategy with your business goals. Your goals might include improving brand recognition, increasing revenue, and other worthy milestones. While all of your social content probably should not be sales content, it should work to support your overall goals of getting your name out there, collecting leads, or moving people along to your sales pages.
It’s particularly important for smaller companies to focus on goals and develop some measurable outcomes. Small business owners and marketers may choose to develop a content strategy on their own or to work with consultants who have experience in this field.

• Content creation: You might work with professionals to develop compelling content; however, some tools can simplify this process enough for motivated novices to create their own text, graphics, and videos. Certainly, you could also find eager interns or affordable freelancers to handle the actual content creation tasks while you work on the big-picture strategy. You may still need to supply them with tools to work efficiently.
• Social media management: The right software can make your social media marketing more efficient and effective. For example, you might compare a couple of general and user-friendly apps like Hootsuite and Buffer to manage many social media marketing functions. Good social media management apps can help you automate everything from scheduling posts to tracking brand mentions to following people back after they follow you. The tools can also help you track a variety of different metrics to help you learn which kinds of content have helped you achieve your goals the quickest. Small business owners can use this information to keep increasing their returns.

How to Market Your Business on Social Media SitesIt’s important to remember that social media marketing works because it helps companies get noticed by more people and engage with those people who do notice them. Beyond developing content that supports your business goals, you will want to make sure you spend time connecting with potential customers and perhaps, influencers in your city or industry. The right set of tools can help you create the right content, post it in a timely manner, and connect with the people who are important for your small business. Small business marketing with social media can be a reliable and fun way to increase your profits.

Source:​http://www.business2community.com/small-business/3-steps-cost-effective-social-media-marketing-smbs-01788297#BLcj6azAbZ5loXgx.97