You are probably here because you don’t know how to use social media for your small business or you’re ready to take social media seriously and become an influencer. Social media is a powerful tool when used properly, and despite misconceptions, it is not something everyone can do well. Starting on social media can be overwhelming, but that’s why I am here. With this blog, I will walk you through establishing a social media presence. Grab a pen and paper; you will be referencing these notes in the future. We will start with what you need to establish before you can start posting.
Goals & Values
Figuring out your business goals and values is key to your social strategy. To help you get started, figure out your “why.” Why did you start your business? Why do you enjoy sharing your creations? Why do you want to be an influencer? Your business goals will guide your social media goals, and in turn, what you post. Now, take it one step further and set your business values. What is it that you want to represent? What values do you want your employees to believe in? Your values and goals go hand-in-hand to ensure your posts represent you and have a purpose.
Find Your Target Audience
For your social media and marketing, or social media marketing, to show results, you need to have your target audience in mind. Your target audience is your ideal customer. It is easy to say that you want to connect with everyone or that your product is for everyone. And sure, everyone does have the opportunity to be interested in what you offer; but you started creating with a specific purpose. You either have a solution to someone’s problem, appeal to people with specific interests, or have something to share that will connect with certain people. They are who you created your business for or who you want to connect with if you’re an influencer. They are the people that will not only buy from you or follow you but continuously show you support and loyalty.
There are a few things you should consider when writing your target audience, including:
- age
- income
- interests
- location
- challenges
- relationship status
- hobbies
- motivations
Once you figure out who you want to connect with, it is easier to figure out your posts and marketing.
Figure Out Your Tone
Now that you have your goals and target audience, what kind of relationship do you want to build with them? Do you want them to view you as a trusted professional or a close friend they can trust? Maybe a little bit of both? Your tone will be reflected in your visuals and captions. Do you need to use casual language or jargon? Is all of your audience in academia or is making content easy to digest one of your goals? In other words, do you need to use proper grammar all the time or type as if you are texting a friend? Personally, I want to be friendly and make content easy to understand.
Choosing Your Platforms
To figure out where you should post, think back to the previous points we established. In what content form (videos, graphics, tweets) will it be easy to reach your goals? Where is your target audience spending most of their time? What platform conveys your tone best? If you want to be professional, LinkedIn and Facebook are probably best. If you want to be silly, then TikTok and Twitter are the platforms for you.
Don’t feel like you need to be everywhere at once. Social media is a lot of work and it is a lot different to post for a business than it is for personal use. Depending on how comfortable you feel, start with 1-2 platforms. If you decide Instagram is the platform for you, learn how to optimize your profile to increase your reach.
Who To Follow
Regardless of which platforms you’re using, I have a few tips that can help you figure out who to follow.
- Don’t follow people at random, instead be selective of who you follow. This includes to not follow everyone back just because they followed you first.
- Follow any potential clients. While it may be tempting to fill your list with friends and family, do it if they will A) engage with your content or B) they are potential clients themselves. Sometimes our loved ones turn to ghost followers in our business page and harming our engagement rate.
- Follow people that inspire your creativity, whether it is people in your field or someone you want in your community. Being inspired while scrolling is so important.
- This one is a follower list tip, but do not buy followers. Under no circumstances should you even think about buying followers. Not only are they bad for your engagement rate, having a large following will not help you achieve your goals. And if followers are a goal for you, go back and rethink your “why.”
I know this seems like a lot to do before you even start posting. But in the long-run, it is so worth it. Remember, growth does not happen overnight and virality is not sustainable (more on that later). For now, you are ready to setup your social media accounts. If this feels like too much for you, I will be opening up for social strategy booking soon and creating a social strategy guide. Stay tuned and have fun setting up your accounts!
Vega 
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